URGENT UPDATE:Government officials have confirmed that Cameroonians living in Antigua and Barbuda were the majority of individuals who were on board a vessel that sank between Antigua and St Kitts this morning. Only half of the 30 people on board were rescued. One is reported dead and 15 are still missing.
EARLIER REPORT:
15 Missing As Boat Sinks 40 Miles Northwest Of Antigua
A boat reportedly carrying 30 people has capsized and sank between Antigua and St Kitts, with only half of its passengers rescued.
Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Telbert Benjamin confirms the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday, some 40 miles northwest of Antigua.
A frantic search is now being carried out to find the other 15 passengers. Colonel Benjamin says the information which the ABDF has received suggests it is an Antiguan vessel which left Urlings.
The identity of the passengers is still not clear at this point.
The ABDF Coast Guard is collaborating with its St Kitts and Nevis counterparts, as well as the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre from Martinique in the search effort at this hour.
The ABDF has also deployed its fixed-wing aircraft, Alpha One in the search effort. Col. Benjamin says several other details are still being ascertained, including where the vessel was headed. ABS will have more details shortly. (State Media)
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Let St. Kitts deal with that! It is closer to their territory. How did Antigua get pulled into this mess?
Because the boat with it’s passengers set sail from Antigua. From Urlings Village.
Well the boat left and is not coming back so let St. Kitts deal with that. We don’t want the refugees back in Antigua.
Antigua didn’t get ‘pulled in” the boat left in the dead of night FROM ANTIGUA smuggling all these passengers to the USVI ( basically smuggling them to the US … smh
Bilbo are you dumb?? These are also people! Regardless of where the ship departed from why wouldn’t we help to save lives?!
Exactly,human lives matter,it doesn’t matter if they are illegal or not
If the boat left from Antigua, what sort of question is this 😤
you sound so ignorant and heartless. Let God have mercy on your sole.
ARE YOU AN ASS?
Human trafficking from antigua gone wrong !
This was indeed preventable and it is a sad but a predictable outcome. The Antiguan dream that they were promised never materialized. My heart bleeds that it has come to this. The entire situation involving these West Africans was handled badly from the beginning. It is obvious that they were duped into coming to Antigua and they really have no interest in being here. Again I call for a public inquiry into this entire fiasco. It is getting worse daily.
SO UNFORTUNATE.
The very same issue that takes places from Africa to Europe with the Africans trying to reach Europe.
Every week we hear of many vessels capsizing in the Mediterranean Sea or English Channel. These sea vessels are usually overcrowded with migrants from Africa.
Now they travelled to Antigua using the safety of an airline with the expectation of a safer onward journey to another promised land.
However, the unfortunate cycle of human trafficking continues on this side of the Atlantic.
Another BIG BLACK RED EYE for Antigua.
For the want of some quick $$$$$, somebody has given in to the evil forces again. When will we ever learn.
Lessons should be learned from this.
The saga of African exploitation continues on this side of the Atlantic.
Bilbo are you dumb?? These are also people! Regardless of where the ship departed from why wouldn’t we help to save lives?!
I Pray that God will have mercy on your soul of the evil ones who caused this tragedy to happen.
Condolences to the families; this is a shakespearean tragedy. The majority of the blame rests with the ALP: we were told these people were “investors” when they couldn’t even afford a zero star hotel.
What’s going to happen to the boats operators? Isn’t human smuggling a crime? Will the deaths of these people go unpunished because they are “refugees?”
How ironic, ran away from a civil war in your country to save your life to ultimately die at sea running from the safe country you landed on. Tragic!
This is a tragedy. Why did it happen? Antigua’s name is involved again. Back in 2015,the leader of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. He told the Senate that Antigua is a haven for Human Trafficking. It had to with a boat load of persons coming from Antigua. Being intercepted by the US Coast Guard in St.Thomas Territorial Waters. The person who was Minister in charge of the Immigration then.He is now in charged of that Portfolio again.What goes around usually comes back around and bite us where we sit. Ponder on that one.GOOD LUCK ANTIGUA,IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. WHY YOUR NAME IS BEING TARNISHED,AGAIN.
Yes it is. When we keep putting the same people in the same position. It is purely our fault.
The Hearts of man is CRUEL
AT FIRST GASTON SAID THEY WERE RICH AFRICAN MEN READY TO INVEST.
THEN GASTON SAID THEY WERE AFRICAN TOURISTS,
THEN GASTON CHANGE AGAIN AND SAY ANTIGUA AIRWAYS WILL LINK AFRICA TO THE CARIBBEAN AND THAT SAME AIRLINE WILL HAVE AN AGREEMENT TO WORK WITH LIAT,
THIS IS THE SAME GASTON BROWNE WHO IS NOW CALLING HIS OWN AGREEMENT “DEFUNCT AND OPPORTUNISTIC MIGRANTS”.
THOSE WERE HIS WORDS, NOT MINE.
ANYONE IN ANTIGUA WHO QUESTIONED GASTON BROWNE ABOUT THE AFRICANS HE WOULD DEMONISE THEM AND VERBALLY ABUSE THEM ON HIS RADIO STATION, HE SEEMS TO HAVE CONTEMPT AND A HATRED FOR ANTIGUA PEOPLE.
MY QUESTIONS TO HIM
GASTON BROWNE, WHERE IS YOUR BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS NOW?
GASTON BROWNE DO YOU STILL HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS?
GASTON BROWNE, ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOU NOW HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS?
PEOPLE OF ANTIGUA, THIS IS JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER OF GASTON BROWNE’S HUMAN TRAFFICKING SAGA, THE NEXT SHOE IS GOING TO FALL AND ANTIGUA WILL BE CAUGHT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
GASTON REALLY FULL OF SHXX AND NEED TO RESIGN IF HE HAVE ANY SHAME AND DECENCY.
You seriously used GRABSTONE and the word decency in the same sentence 😩😩😩
I make a heartfelt appeal to Gaston Browne’s fellow ministerial members to declare a vote of no confidence in his leadership.
The major players like Chet Greene, Max Fernández and Colin James knows more than any of us what really went down regarding the airline collaboration with Nigeria.
If any of them have any love or consciousness for for the country 🇦🇬 … they will do the right thing for the citizenship.
GASTON BROWNE IS NOT BIGGER THAN ANTIGUA & BARBUDA – NO WAY, NO HOW …
Another ABLP and Gaston Browne failure…
Blood is now on your hands for this development.
UPP must make a real push for his dismissal not resignation.
What y’all need to know is that before we left Africa we already considered as dead people. Repatriating us we all gonna die upon arrival and leaving us here in Antigua is not our thing . We came prepared for either life or death so if y’all the authorities are blocking the airports for us to evacuate then we shall follow any available routes to our destination. RIP 🪦 😭🕯️🕊️ to our fallen comrades but we won’t stop trying until we get to our destinations. We weren’t forced to come here so y’all should understand we not under human trafficking. It’s either you open the airports for us to leave because we don’t wanna stay in Antigua or we all will die by any means of finding our ways out .
The gods of motherland #Africa are angry . Open the airports cuz we planning another routes that will shock the world .
Comments are closed.