19 People Found Dead on Boat Near Caribbean Island, Investigation Is Underway: Police

Police in St. Kitts and Nevis are launching an investigation after the coast guard found a partially-submerged vessel carrying 19 dead bodies

Charlotte Phillipp
·2-min read
St. Kitts Nevis Coast Guard/Facebook A vessel belonging to the St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard.

St. Kitts Nevis Coast Guard/Facebook

A vessel belonging to the St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard.

Police in the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis are launching an investigation after 19 people were found dead on a vessel floating off the nation's coast.

According to a press release, the St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard received a report just before noon local time on Wednesday, Jan. 29, about a partially-sunken vessel drifting southwest of Nevis. Police towed the boat to the coast guard base where they discovered that 19 dead bodies were on board.

“It was a fishing vessel, which is not typically found in the Caribbean," Police Commissioner James Sutton told the Associated Press of the boat. "We are not certain, but we believe that this vessel originated off the West African coast."

Royal St. Christopher & Nevis Police Force Photo of the fishing vessel, provided by police after it was towed to shore.

Royal St. Christopher & Nevis Police Force

Photo of the fishing vessel, provided by police after it was towed to shore.

Related: 7-Year-Old Girl Is Sole Survivor of Fishing Boat Accident That Killed Her Grandfather and Great-Grandfather

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Investigators said that they believe the vessel had been drifting for a long period of time because the bodies were in the advanced stages of decomposition. Police also determined that all of the deceased passengers had died before the boat drifted into St. Kitts and Nevis waters, per the press release.

A number of people onboard had identification documents from the West African country of Mali, located about 3,850 miles away from St. Kitts and Nevis, per the press release.

An investigation led by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) is underway, authorities added. Police are looking to confirm the identities of all passengers and the circumstances that led to their deaths.

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Sutton told AP that identifying the bodies could prove difficult due to the decomposition.

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"We urge anyone with additional information regarding this incident to contact the nearest Police station soonest," the agency wrote in the press release. "The RSCNPF extends its deepest condolences to the families and communities affected by this tragedy."

Read the original article on People

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