New Tests to Uncover Pablo Neruda's Death Circumstances

Officials will look into the possibility that Neruda was poisoned by agents of the Pinochet regime/ AFP
Officials will look into the possibility that Neruda was poisoned by agents of the Pinochet regime/ AFP
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New Tests to Uncover Pablo Neruda's Death Circumstances

Officials will look into the possibility that Neruda was poisoned by agents of the Pinochet regime/ AFP
Officials will look into the possibility that Neruda was poisoned by agents of the Pinochet regime/ AFP

International researchers investigating the death of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda raised doubts as to whether he died of cancer 44 years ago as previously presumed, or of poison.

Researches are being made to identify whether the poet died of natural conditions, or he was poisoned by agents of General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship after the country's 1973 military takeover.
Experts said more tests are needed to reach a final conclusion, according to Reuters.

Mario Carroza, the judge conducting the investigations involving 16 expert from Spain, France, Chile, the United States, and Canada said: “We cannot confirm that third parties effectively intervened, but we think there may be such a possibility.”

Neruda was a member of Chile's Communist Party and a friend to President Salvador Allende. He died in suspicious conditions 12 days after a coup d’état led by General Augusto Pinochet on September 11, 1973.
Ever since, Neruda's chauffeur, Manuel Araya, has claimed that the author received a suspicious injection shortly before his death.

After the coup and President Allende’s murder, and days before Neruda's death, Pinochet's soldiers came to the poet’s house and told him they are looking for weapons at his place.

"Poetry is my only weapon," he replied them.

Forty years after his death, an investigation was launched to reveal the truth behind this mysterious death. His body was exhumed for the first time in April 2013 for analysis, to be buried again for the fourth time in 2016, three years after its extraction to determine the exact cause behind his death.



Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing at Least 5

Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
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Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing at Least 5

Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo

A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people caught fire at sea on Sunday off Sulawesi island in Indonesia, killing at least five people, officials said. More than 280 people were rescued and evacuation efforts were ongoing.

The KM Barcelona 5 was headed to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, from Talaud, an island district in the province when it caught fire in waters near Talise, said Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, The AP news reported.

He said that three navy ships had been deployed, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far. The rescue operation included assistance from local fishermen, who saved some survivors wearing life jackets as they were drifting to nearby islands in the choppy waters.

Rescuers retrieved five bodies, including a pregnant woman.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and no exact figures of passengers and crew members onboard the ferry.

“We are still focusing on evacuation efforts,” Hendrata said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated.

Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, jumping into the sea. Orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

Residents of Mentawai Islands found several people stranded on July 14 after a speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm the day before, authorities said. All were in good condition.

A ferry sank near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali early this month, leaving at least 19 dead and 16 others missing. A two-week search operation involved more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.