March 29th 2023

Death toll climbs in boat accident: Antigua government to bury the dead

by Dominica News Online

At least three people have now been confirmed dead after a boat that left Antigua and Barbuda capsized 12 miles south of St Kitts’ Conaree village on Tuesday morning.

Thirty-two passengers were aboard although clearance from the Antigua port indicated that only three persons were expected to be on the vessel destined for the USVI.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne expressed deep sorrow at the distress and loss of life suffered by persons aboard a vessel that he said left Antigua and Barbuda illegally.

He said while reports are still sketchy, “We understand that the majority of persons on board the vessel may be Africans who were part of those who arrived here as tourists but with the intention of migrating to other countries.”

Browne said it is widely known that his government has been making every effort to be helpful to “these brothers and sisters from Africa” who were marooned in Antigua, including granting them residence and the opportunity to work.

“We have also been engaged with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the International Organization for  Migration on the best ways of treating them as refugees.

Two things appear clear from today’s tragic events. The first is that the Africans on board the vessel wanted to leave Antigua and Barbuda for another country.  The second is that the owners and operators of a vessel in Antigua and Barbuda facilitated their transport on an illegal journey”, he added.

He said his ABLP-led government will launch a full investigation into the circumstances of this unlawful and dreadful affair, including the involvement of any citizens and residents.

“We will also uphold our international obligations against human trafficking and illegal migration by strengthening our domestic institutions and enhancing our cooperation with regional and hemispheric partners,” he added.

In the meantime, Browne said his government will also continue to offer refuge in Antigua and Barbuda to the survivors of Tuesday’s events, “and we will make appropriate arrangements for the burial of the deceased.

We will also make every effort to contact their relatives to advise them of this heart-breaking tragedy. We appeal to the Africans, who are in Antigua and Barbuda, not to be tempted into any schemes such as happened today, but to work with the government, through our immigration authorities, to help find acceptable solutions to their circumstances,” he stated.