Latest news with #Canouan
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Police investigate vessel with 11 decomposed bodies washed ashore in Caribbean
Police have launched an investigation into a vessel that washed ashore on an Eastern Caribbean island that contained human remains of at least 11 people in an advanced state of decomposition. The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) said it received a report at about 10:45 a.m. Monday that a suspicious vessel had been discovered along the coastline of the island of Canouan near Little Bay and Cherry Hill. Officers from the Canouan police station responded and discovered the remains of 11 people on the boat. Police said the boat measured 45 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep, and it was found grounded in the area. The remains of the people onboard were in what police called an "advanced state of decomposition," and some of the remains were not fully intact. Investigators recovered several passports from the boat, which appear to be from the West African country of the Republic of Mali. While passports have been recovered, police have not officially identified any of the bodies, and the investigation remains ongoing. The RSVGPF said it is working closely with regional and international partners to confirm the origins of the boat and the identities of those onboard. The human remains have since been transported to the island of St. Vincent, where they are being held at the Kingstown mortuary for further forensic and investigative procedures. "This incident is deeply concerning, and we understand the public's interest in the matter," police said. "We assure you that the RSVGPF is treating this investigation with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity." The department added that it is committed to pursuing every lead and ensuring all appropriate protocols are followed. The U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for the country of Mali in July 2023. The State Department's reasoning for not traveling to the country is due to crime, terrorism and kidnapping. "Violent crime, such as kidnapping and armed robbery, is common in Mali. Violent crime is a particular concern during local holidays and seasonal events in Bamako, its suburbs, and Mali's southern regions," the advisory states. "Terrorist and armed groups continue plotting kidnappings and attacks in Mali," the advisory on Mali adds. "They may attack with little or no warning, targeting nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, places of worship, international diplomatic missions, and other locations frequented by foreigners. Attacks may target Malian government offices and infrastructure, in addition to locations frequented by Westerners."
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Migrant deaths: Eleven bodies found in boat on Caribbean island
The bodies of 11 people believed to have been migrants have been found inside a boat washed onto the shores of the Caribbean island of Canouan, which forms part of St Vincent and the identities of those on board remain unclear, a police official said, but several passports found at the scene suggest they were from Mali, a land-locked country in western Africa more than 6,000km (3,800 miles) boat, measuring 45ft (14m) in length, 12ft in width and 6ft in depth, was found grounded in Little Bay, on discovery comes just months after a boat with 13 dead bodies - some of whom also had Malian documents - was found washed ashore in St Kitts and Nevis. Authorities in St Vincent and the Grenadines said they were alerted to the boat with the 11 deceased migrants on Byun, UN Refugee Agency's global spokesperson, told the BBC the migrants - believed to be from Mali - had probably planned to go to the Canary the small size of the boat recovered in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ms Byun said it was "highly unlikely" those on board would have been attempting reach the added: "We cannot talk on behalf of those who have passed away, but our best guess is that they wanted to take the Atlantic route to get to the Canary Islands" Hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced inside Mali, whose central and northern regions have known little stability since independence from France in September 1960, and many others have fled abroad. Around 6.4 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the European Commission, and more than 1.5 million people require emergency food Buyn explained that Mali had experienced "a cycle of violence" since 2012, when the Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali triggered a military coup and Islamist groups that helped defeat the government captured several towns. Access to services in the west African country had been "severely restricted" and Malians were crossing the border in search for better livelihoods, she when refugees cross the border to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region, they are often confronted with a similar landscape, Ms Byun said, which leads them to seek refuge further afield."Desperate people make desperate decisions," she UN official worries that the Atlantic route from Africa to Europe is not getting as much attention as the Mediterranean route, and "smugglers are taking advantage of this".
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Abandoned boat and 11 bodies found on eastern Caribbean island with Mali passports
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities in the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines say they have discovered an abandoned boat and the remains of 11 people along with passports from the west African country of Mali. The boat was found on the shores of Canouan island in the eastern Caribbean, police said in a statement Tuesday. Authorities said they are working with regional and international partners to identify the victims and the origin of the boat, which was discovered on Monday. 'This incident is deeply concerning,' police said. 'We are committed to pursuing every lead.' In January, officials in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis said they found a boat with the bodies of 19 people, some with identifications from Mali. Meanwhile, in May 2021, the bodies of more than a dozen men were found on a boat drifting near the twin-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. An Associated Press investigation found that they were part of a group of 43 people believed to have left Mauritania for Spain's Canary Islands but instead were swept away by the Atlantic Ocean.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Abandoned boat and 11 bodies found on eastern Caribbean island with Mali passports
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines say they have discovered an abandoned boat and the remains of 11 people along with passports from the west African country of Mali. The boat was found on the shores of Canouan island in the eastern Caribbean, police said in a statement Tuesday. Authorities said they are working with regional and international partners to identify the victims and the origin of the boat, which was discovered on Monday. 'This incident is deeply concerning,' police said. 'We are committed to pursuing every lead.' In January, officials in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis said they found a boat with the bodies of 19 people, some with identifications from Mali. Meanwhile, in May 2021, the bodies of more than a dozen men were found on a boat drifting near the twin-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. An Associated Press investigation found that they were part of a group of 43 people believed to have left Mauritania for Spain's Canary Islands but instead were swept away by the Atlantic Ocean.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Eleven bodies found in beached boat in Eastern Caribbean
KINGSTOWN, May 27 (Reuters) - Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday said they found a boat beached on the shore of Canouan island carrying the remains of what they believed to be 11 people who may be from Mali, though investigations into their identities are ongoing. "Several passports were recovered at the scene which appear to be from the Republic of Mali," Superintendent Junior Simmons said in a video message. "The remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, and some were not fully intact." Local police received on Monday morning around 10:45 a.m. (1445 GMT) a report about the 45-foot vessel that washed ashore in Little Bay on Canouan, to the south of the archipelago Caribbean nation. Simmons said the remains had been transported to mainland St. Vincent pending further forensic and investigative procedures. In nearby St. Kitts and Nevis, authorities in January said they had discovered a vessel where they found the bodies of 19 people who they estimated had been at sea for a long period due to the advanced stage of decomposition. They also found identifications suggesting some of those passengers also came from Mali, a landlocked West African nation some 6,200 km (3,850 miles) east across the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast is among the world's most dangerous maritime routes, with strong westerly currents and winds capable of driving vessels far off course.
