Search goes on for five missing after two pleasure boats collide off Trinidad

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago. Police in Trinidad and Tobago said on Wednesday that investigations were continuing into Sunday evening's collision between two pleasure vessels off the north-western peninsula, amid conflicting reports about how many people are missing and feared dead.

Initial reports said five people were missing. The authorities have named them as Ameer Mohammed, Keeana Seechan, Lorenzo Oliver, Anil Ahaye and a person identified only as Titus.

The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard said it was aware of reports of an individual "who may be unaccounted for" and that the information was being urgently verified. It said search and rescue operations were continuing and that any confirmed change in the number of people unaccounted for would be announced once checked. It asked the public and media to show sensitivity towards the families and not to share unverified information.

What police have said

According to preliminary police reports, the collision involved a 28-foot Bowen pleasure craft named BAMBALEO, travelling east, and a 29-foot Chantelle vessel named BELBAGAI, heading west. The impact badly damaged both boats and threw several passengers into the sea.

The BELBAGAI sank. Police said it had 19 people on board, nine of whom were brought ashore, while six others needed medical attention. All 18 people on the BAMBALEO were reported safe. A police spokesman said five people from the BELBAGAI remained missing. The BAMBALEO and other vessels helped take injured passengers to the coast guard base at Staubles Bay.

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said the investigation would be thorough and would examine all the evidence. "Someone may have a video, someone may have witnessed something before, even after the accident that can assist us in putting the pieces together," he said, appealing for information.

He thanked the coast guard, the Coastal and Air Support Unit, Hunters Search and Rescue, and private citizens and foreign visitors helping with the search, but said he would not give further details while the investigation was active.

Call for independent inquiry

The National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) has called for a full, independent and transparent investigation free from "interference, influence or favouritism".

Its general secretary, Michael Annisette, who also leads the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union, said the organisation was concerned by unverified allegations that a child may have been operating one of the vessels. He said investigators must establish who was operating both boats, whether the operators were trained and licensed, and whether both vessels met registration and safety requirements, and that any child involved must be protected.

He also asked the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to clarify the status of its draft Shipping (Small Boat) Policy. "The families deserve the truth," Mr Annisette said.