‘He was always there for us’

THE mother of the Irishman who died in the capsized boat tragedy in Bahrain last week has expressed concern that his body may not be brought back to Ireland for burial.

Mae Cunningham from Drogheda, Co Louth said she was still unaware of funeral arrangements for her son, Derek.

Mr Cunningham, 52, is one of 58 people who are confirmed as drowned after a pleasure cruiser overturned last Thursday.

His Thai-born second wife, Orathie, 32, also died. The couple had moved to Bahrain last April with their two adopted daughters - Fern, 11, and Gigi, 7.

They had lived at the Hill of Moynalty near Kells, Co Meath, although Mr Cunningham’s career had taken him to Thailand, Germany, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The electrical engineer was among a group of employees from several construction firms on the boat for a celebration to mark the completion of the World Trade Centre skyscraper in Bahrain’s capital, Manama.

His sister Lorraine, his first wife Jane and their son Dominic, 24, flew out to Bahrain on Saturday to formally identify the body.

Mae Cunningham said: “He was coming home next week for a holiday and was going to bring the two girls and his son Dominic to Disneyland Paris.”

She described her son as “big-hearted” and “a workaholic”.

“He was always there for us in times of trouble.”

Dominic was in Dublin Airport waiting to fly out to Bahrain, where he was due to start a new job, when he learned of his father’s death.

Meanwhile, Bahrain officials revealed over the weekend that the vessel did not have a licence to operate as a pleasure craft.

British survivor Simon Hill claimed over a dozen passengers had decided to leave the cruiser before it sailed as “it was starting to sway from side to side, causing several people to feel uneasy”.

A total of 130 people are believed to have been on board. Latest reports say 58 have been confirmed dead with 71 survivors, while one is still listed as missing.

The Bahrain Interior Ministry revealed the boat’s permit was only for use as a floating restaurants and was not licensed for passenger cruises. It also emerged that the ship’s captain was not licensed to pilot the vessel.