Jersey fishing boat inquest: Cause of men's death 'unclear'

Jervis Ramirez Baligat and Larry Simyunn were from the Philippines

An inquest into the deaths of two men whose bodies were recovered from the seabed near their sunken trawler has heard it was unclear how they died.

Jervis Baligat, 31, and Larry Simyunn, 33, were aboard the L'Ecume II as crew when it collided with a Condor Ferries freight vessel on 8 December 2022.

The inquest found the cause of death to be undetermined pending lab results.

Also on Friday, States of Jersey Police appealed for information to help with its independent investigation.

At the inquest, advocate Mark Harris, who was sitting as coroner, said it was likely both men died on the morning of the collision.

The Ports of Jersey said a number of investigations were under way, and that the toxicology results were relevant in determining the official causes of death.

Mr Harris released the bodies of Mr Baligat and Mr Simyunn and they will be sent back to their families in the Philippines to be buried.

Police appealed to islanders "with any relevant information" that related to the collision, including if they saw the incident take place or spoke to anyone involved on the morning of the crash to get in contact.

The search and recovery operation for the skipper Michael Michieli remains ongoing.

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