Two of the officers who were swept to their deaths by ferocious Hurricane Fabian were taking a colleague home after she finished her shift as the height of the storm began to whip up across the East End.

P.c. Stephen Symons and P.c. Nicole O' Connor made the decision to cross the Causeway in order to ensure St. George's duty officer Gladys Saunders got home to nearby Ducks Puddle Drive in Hamilton Parish after she had finished her stint at the station at 2 p.m.

However, their marked Police car and the vehicle belonging to young father Manuel Pacheco ran into trouble as they attempted to cross the bridge when water got into the engines and caused them to stall.

It is believed the high seas and 140 mph winds, coupled with the collapsing walls of the bridge, made it virtually impossible for the four to escape. P.c. Symons made contact with Police and attempts to rescue the four were made. However, after a while contact was lost at about 2.30 p.m.

All rescue attempts by Police, the Fire Service and Island Construction also had to be called off due to deteriorating weather conditions and the fall of darkness. However, the exact order of events that day has not yet been made clear as the Police investigation is still incomplete.

Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said the four victims were not seen again after they were swept off the bridge, but yesterday he was unable to say at what exact time they disappeared or whether emergency services were already at the Causeway and attempting to rescue them when they were swept over.

And he said inquiries were also being made into why the four people were on the Causeway at the time they were, in the first place. It had been widely publicised that although the weather would be severe all day, the hurricane force winds would begin to start at 2 p.m. and would not cease for several hours.

The Commissioner said the day before the hurricane hit, the shift patterns of Police workers had been changed due to the conditions and many officers were given the day off to ensure as few people as possible were out in the storm.

Mr. Smith said the shift changed over at 2 p.m., instead of later, and officers starting work were expected to do a 12-hour shift, so they would miss the worst of the hurricane. It was expected to be at its height late afternoon and into the evening. However, why 2 p.m. was chosen by the Police as the change-over time was not made clear by the Commissioner at the press conference yesterday, considering that was when the winds were due to pick up to hurricane force.

The Royal Gazette did ask after the press conference why that time had been chosen, and the Commissioner said: "The Bermuda Police Service, at this point in time, is dealing with the realities of the loss of colleagues and friends, and also a member of our community.

"It would be insensitive of us at this time to speak to the issue at hand, which is the timing of the shift changeover, until we pay our respects to the lives of our countrymen, colleagues and friends."

Mr. Smith added: "At the appropriate time, a response will be given."

The Commissioner said the Police had given a special presentation to the families of the victims, detailing what the Service knew so far and how the 19-day search and recovery was conducted. But he said some details will not be made clear until the investigation was complete.

He said: "We are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances as to how our individuals and Mr. Pacheco ended up on the Causeway at that particular time.

"No doubt there will be a determination in that investigation as to how these four and others ended up at the Causeway."

And he added: "The shifts were changed and the number of staff working at the stations was reduced. The shift change was at 2 p.m. The expectation was for that shift to be working for 12 hours, until 2 a.m. the following day."

The Commissioner said a report into the deaths had been passed to the Coroner and he anticipated an inquest into the whole tragedy would be held at some stage.