The search for the missing persons who were aboard the vessel, Jenna B – which
sank approximately 12 nautical miles west of St. Kitts has ended, and those
involved in the operation have now switched to a recovery phase; the search for
bodies.
That is the assessment of the Chief of the Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force,
Colonel Telbert Benjamin, who said that the chances of rescuing anyone alive after
more than 36 hours in those deep waters are most certainly none.
So far, sixteen of the thirty persons on board have been rescued alive, and three
bodies have since been recovered since the vessel capsized around 3:00 am on
Tuesday. Its beacon sent out an automatic alert to the Maritime Rescue
Coordination Centre in Martinique which has jurisdiction for the entire Eastern
Caribbean. This triggered responses from both the St Kitts-Nevis and Antigua and
Barbuda Coast Guards.
“Unless someone had some sort of floatation device that would allow them to stay
afloat in these waters, it would be impossible for them to survive in the open sea
with the waves and other movements. We have therefore switched to the recovery
of bodies and from my information, that is likely to happen any time after 48 hours
if those who are missing drowned,” he told Point Express newspaper.
Contacted late Wednesday afternoon, Col. Benjamin said there were no further
updates regarding additional bodies being found, after a second day of conducting
the search. The vessel, of Guadeloupean registry, left that French Overseas
Territory about a week ago for Antigua and it was reported missing on Tuesday
after news of the tragedy at sea broke.
St. Kitts-Nevis authorities reported that of the sixteen persons they rescued and
who were in their custody, two are Antigua and Barbuda nationals and the other
fourteen were Cameroonians. The vessel is believed to have left Antigua and
Barbuda waters on Monday night heading to a destination northward, perhaps the
United States Virgin Islands.
On Wednesday, the heads of the security services – Defense Force, Police,
Immigration and UNDCP – were invited to the weekly Cabinet meeting to give
members an update on the situation.
This morning (Thursday), the heads of these departments will join Information
Minister Melford Nicholas at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, which will
take place at the Sir John E. St. Luce Conference Centre, to answer questions from
the media about the situation involving the Cameroonians living here for the past
three months. The session will be broadcast LIVE.
