Emergencies and World Disasters
The Lucona Bomb: How Power Sank a Ship and Bought Silence
22 min•24 augusti 2026
Om avsnittet
The Lucona Bomb: How Power Sank a Ship and Bought Silence
Fear of power protecting a crime: a ship carrying a declared cargo worth 212 million Austrian schillings exploded in calm seas and six of twelve people aboard died - yet ministers repeatedly intervened to stop the case. Who used political influence to shield the man behind the manifest, and how deep did that protection run?
In this episode, you hear the sequence of events from the explosion on 23 January 1977 near Minicoy to the years of obstruction that followed, following the cargo claim, the dead crew, and journalist Hans Pretterebner’s reporting that forced the story into the open. What did the physical evidence and the ministerial interventions reveal about responsibility and cover-up?
Person: Udo Proksch
Date: 23 January 1977
Location: near the island of Minicoy, Indian Ocean
Topic: ship explosion and cargo fraud
Author: Hans Pretterebner
- The hull plates were bent outward at 4,200 metres below the surface.
- The manifest declared cargo with an insurance value of 212 million Austrian schillings (roughly 20 million US dollars).
- Twelve people were aboard the Lucona; six died after the forward cargo hold exploded.
- The Lucona departed Chioggia, Italy, in early January 1977 with ten crew and two passengers.
- Four different Austrian ministers (Justice Harald Ofner, Interior Karl Blecha, Foreign Leopold Gratz, Defense Karl Lütgendorf) intervened in ways that impeded or affected the investigation.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
Fear of power protecting a crime: a ship carrying a declared cargo worth 212 million Austrian schillings exploded in calm seas and six of twelve people aboard died - yet ministers repeatedly intervened to stop the case. Who used political influence to shield the man behind the manifest, and how deep did that protection run?
In this episode, you hear the sequence of events from the explosion on 23 January 1977 near Minicoy to the years of obstruction that followed, following the cargo claim, the dead crew, and journalist Hans Pretterebner’s reporting that forced the story into the open. What did the physical evidence and the ministerial interventions reveal about responsibility and cover-up?
Person: Udo Proksch
Date: 23 January 1977
Location: near the island of Minicoy, Indian Ocean
Topic: ship explosion and cargo fraud
Author: Hans Pretterebner
- The hull plates were bent outward at 4,200 metres below the surface.
- The manifest declared cargo with an insurance value of 212 million Austrian schillings (roughly 20 million US dollars).
- Twelve people were aboard the Lucona; six died after the forward cargo hold exploded.
- The Lucona departed Chioggia, Italy, in early January 1977 with ten crew and two passengers.
- Four different Austrian ministers (Justice Harald Ofner, Interior Karl Blecha, Foreign Leopold Gratz, Defense Karl Lütgendorf) intervened in ways that impeded or affected the investigation.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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