In Brief
- Five people remain missing following a collision between two pleasure vessels—the Bambaleo and the Belbagai—in waters off Trinidad’s north-western peninsula on Sunday night.
- The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG), supported by divers and the TTPS Air Support Unit, continued search and rescue operations on Monday.
- A total of 37 people were aboard the two vessels. All 18 passengers on the Bambaleo were reported safe, while the Belbagai (carrying 19 people) sank, leaving five unaccounted for and several others requiring medical attention at the St James Medical Complex.
(CMC)– The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) on Monday continued search and rescue operations in waters off the north-western peninsula after two vessels collided on Sunday night, leaving five people missing.
In a statement, the TTCG said preliminary reports indicate that several people remain unaccounted for, while some of those rescued suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to the St James Medical Complex on the outskirts of the capital.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Air Support Unit is assisting with aerial searches to strengthen the rescue effort.
The police said the accident occurred on Sunday evening when two pleasure vessels collided, resulting in several passengers being thrown overboard and one of the boats sinking. They said that the five missing people have so far been identified as Ameer Mohammed, Keeana Seechan, Lorenzo Oliver, Anil Ahaye, and a fifth person identified only as Titus.
According to preliminary police reports, the collision involved a 28-foot Bowen pleasure craft named Bambaleo and a 29-foot Pirogue/Chantelle vessel named Belbagai.
The police said that the Bambaleo was travelling in an easterly direction when it collided with the Belbagai, which was heading west, and that the impact caused extensive damage to both vessels and sent several passengers into the sea.
The Belbagai subsequently sank, and the police said nine people from that vessel were brought ashore, while six others required medical attention.
A police spokesman said that the Bambaleo was carrying 18 people, while the Belbagai had 19 people aboard when the vessels collided. He confirmed that all 18 people aboard the Bambaleo were reported safe, but said five people from the Belbagai remained missing.
He added that the Bambaleo and other vessels assisted in transporting injured passengers to the nearby Coast Guard base at Staubles Bay.
“The Coast Guard sprung into action, jumped on their vessels, and began a search along with Coast Guard divers,” he said, adding that the divers, together with personnel from the police Coastal Support Unit and Air Support Unit, are searching the surrounding waters for the missing passengers.
