The Lives Of 51 People Killed In The Whiddy Island Disaster Are Being Commemorated In Bantry
The French tanker Betelgeuse caught fire and exploded while unloading its cargo of crude oil in Bantry Bay on the morning of January 8th 1979.
Most of those killed in the disaster were French, while 7 Irish and one British national also lost their lives.
A Dutch diver also died while the ship was being being salvaged.
Speaking to RedFM News, Brian McGee who worked on the island terminal and was there that night, recalled how he first became aware something was wrong:
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