Police confirm boat with seven dead bodies on board

ST GEORGE’S (CMC):

Police on Monday confirmed that they were investigating the discovery of a boat on Sunday with seven bodies “in a decomposed state”.

In a brief statement, the police said that officers assigned to the Northern Division responded to a report of a drifting vessel in the vicinity of Gun Point, Carriacou, on Sunday.

“The boat was retrieved and toured to Harvey Vale by the Grenada Coast Guard, where seven adult male bodies were discovered in a decomposed state,” the statement said, adding that “specialised units of the force are presently analysing personal effects and devices found on board the vessel, following which a comprehensive update will be provided”.

Media reports here said there have been suggestions that the vessel could have originated in Guyana, where there were reports of a group of men missing since September.

An unidentified marine expert is quoted by the Grenada Broadcasting Network as saying that the men on board the vessel had been at sea “for an extended period, based on the barnacles that are growing on the side of the vessel”.

“This is an indication that the vessel was drifting for a while now,” the expert added.

Earlier this year, Trinidad and Tobago authorities said that a vessel with 15 bodies on board had been traced to Mauritania in Africa.

“Through collaborations with the Institute of Marine Affairs, we have learnt that the vessel was reported stolen in Mauritania,” the authorities said then.