HEARTBROKEN brothers of a hero British contractor killed by ISIS-backed terrorists say he was “allowed to die” by his employer.

Heroic Philip Mawer, 58, was in Mozambique in March 2021.

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Philip Mawer was helping prepare fore the gas operation became trapped at the hotel on March 24, 2021 Credit: pixel8000
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He was killed instantly when the rocket smashed into his vehicle as he fled the terror-hit town Credit: RA International

His brothers Bill and Mark said they were “deeply disappointed” after a coroner ruled there was not enough evidence to find corporations had a responsibility to stage a rescue, reports the Daily Mail .

Philip was working as a project manager for RA International, which was building accommodation for workers at a huge project run by French giant TotalEnergies.

He was among those trapped at the Amarula Hotel in the coastal town of Palma after it was attacked by militants from Al-Shabaab.

As many as 1,400 people were killed during the attack and the chaos that followed.

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Fighters near the strategic north eastern Mozambique town of Palma, as the militant group claimed it had taken control of the area after five days of conflict Credit: AP
A car involved in an ambush on a convoy of vehicles lies wrecked on the side of the road
A car involved in an ambush on a convoy of vehicles carrying civilians who had been sheltering in a hotel in Palma, lies wrecked on the side of the road, in Mozambique Credit: Reuters

Philip had “gallantly” given up his place on a rescue helicopter, insisting women and children should go first.

He also turned down a seat in an armoured vehicle and instead left in his own “soft-skin” vehicle with two passengers as part of a convoy.

The vehicle was later hit by an RPG, killing Philip.

But his brothers say they are still left with questions about how he came to be in such a dangerous situation.

Bill, 68, and Mark, 66, criticised TotalEnergies after an inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court heard its Mozambican subsidiary TEPMA1 refused to provide fuel to private military contractor Dyck Advisory Group.

DAG had been carrying out rescue missions from the besieged hotel.

The inquest also heard there had been attempts to organise further evacuations.

Barristers representing Philip’s family argued that TEPMA1 had taken responsibility for the safety of contractors by giving the impression the area was safe.

A message asking for help can be seen in the grounds of the Amarula Hotel in Palma
The Brit had spent two days holed up inside the Amarula Hotel Credit: Reuters
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The blast ripped off his left arm and caused catastrophic injuries to his spine and brain stem

They said the company then failed in that responsibility by refusing fuel for rescue attempts which could have saved Philip.

TEPMA1 denied having any responsibility for Philip and said it could not provide fuel to DAG because the group had been linked to abuses.

Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg said there was not enough evidence to conclude that corporations had a responsibility to stage an evacuation.

But Philip’s brothers said Total had still failed to properly explain its decision over the fuel.

They also criticised the company for not sending a representative to the inquest and instead providing a written statement.

Bill said: “We were hoping for a different conclusion from the coroner. It feels like the companies’ damage limitation exercise has been to some extent a success.”

Mark said: “I want to say I feel battered and bruised by it.”

Bill added: “We came here because we have been wanting to be heard. It’s been five and a half years.

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Harrowing evidence heard at his inquest revealed workers had already known of weekly attacks around Palma Credit: AP
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A Rwandan soldier walks in front of a burned truck near Palma Credit: AFP

“We came in here already knowing how Philip died. We have known that for years.

“We knew about the Amarula Hotel and what happened there. We knew about the ambush and that a terrorist fired a rocket at his car.

“The conclusion we wanted to get would address the issues we were worried about: how could he get into the situation?

“How could the project he was hired for be restarted when it’s dangerous on the ground?

“Why did Total refuse to give fuel in that situation? Why was our brother allowed to die so close to such a secure compound and military force?”

The brothers said there had not been “adequate scrutiny” of the decisions and events which left Philip and others fighting for their lives.

They said Total’s approach to the inquest had “shown contempt for the court, the family and the death of our brother Philip”.

The inquest heard the hotel manager and two were rescued shortly before Philip was killed.

Bill said he believed there was “some degree of causality” between the refusal to provide fuel and the decision to leave the hotel in an unsafe convoy.

He said: “For someone working on their project in that situation and they did nothing – it seems inhumane.”

Philip, originally from , was a widower who threw himself into his work after the death of his wife Heather.

Bill is a retired businessman who spent five years in the Army before working in defence and aerospace, while Mark is a retired dentist.

They described Philip as a “fantastic” and “entertaining” younger brother and said they still want answers about what happened to him.

TotalEnergies declined to comment.