In Brief
- The Incident: Two pleasure crafts carrying a combined 32 people collided around 6.30 pm on Sunday, causing one vessel to sink.
- The Missing: Five passengers—four men and a 17-year-old girl—remain unaccounted for as multi-agency search-and-rescue operations continue.
- The Injured: Several survivors required hospitalisation, including a 40-year-old man who remains in the Intensive Care Unit at the Port of Spain General Hospital.
By Alicia Chamely
Five people, including a 17-year-old girl, remain unaccounted for following a boating accident on Sunday evening.
In a release on Tuesday morning, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said officers of the Western Division are continuing their investigations into the collision and are working alongside relevant agencies to locate the missing passengers.
According to reports, a 28-foot Bowen pleasure craft, captained by a 44-year-old man travelling east, and a 29-foot Chantelle pleasure craft, captained by a 35-year-old man travelling west, collided at approximately 6.30 pm in the vicinity of Canning’s Point.
The TTPS confirmed that a total of 32 people were involved in the incident, with 18 aboard the Bowen and 14 aboard the Chantelle.
The Chantelle sustained extensive damage and sank shortly after impact. Those aboard the Bowen, along with another passing vessel, rescued several of the sinking boat’s occupants from the water. The survivors and the occupants of the Bowen were subsequently transported to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard Base at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas.
While efforts were made to retrieve everyone aboard the Chantelle after the collision, five passengers remain missing. They have been identified only as:
- A 25-year-old man from Arouca;
- An 18-year-old man from Point Cumana;
- A 17-year-old girl from Point Cumana;
- A 38-year-old man from Carenage; and
- A 35-year-old man from Petit Valley.
The TTPS assured the public that search efforts are ongoing, stating, “An extensive search-and-rescue operation is currently underway involving officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the TTPS Coastal and Marine Unit, the Western Division Gang and Intelligence Unit, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, members of the local community and relatives of the missing persons.”
Several of the rescued passengers from the Chantelle also required medical attention. A 40-year-old man from Point Cumana sustained serious injuries and was transferred to the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH), where he remains warded in the Intensive Care Unit.
Five other passengers were taken to the St James Medical Facility. Two of those individuals were later transferred to the POSGH for treatment and subsequently discharged. Reports indicate that two passengers have since returned to the POSGH for additional medical care.
As part of the ongoing inquiry, officers from the Carenage Police Station visited the Coast Guard Base at Staubles Bay, where they observed damage to the front section of the surviving vessel. Officers of the Western Division Crime Scene Unit later photographed and processed the boat.
“Investigations are being coordinated by officers of the Western Division, with assistance from the Western Division Criminal Investigations Department and the Carenage Police Station,” the police release noted.
“The TTPS is continuing to work alongside the relevant agencies and members of the public as efforts to locate the missing persons continue,” the statement added.
