Boat with decomposed human bodies found off the south-east coast of Trinidad

Trinidad: The unidentified vessel with several decomposed human bodies was found off the south-east coast of Trinidad on Sunday morning. Authorities at Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the police service confirmed the incident at 3 pm and announced that the boat have been drifting in Atlantic Ocean for several days.  

Coast Guard authorities made attempts to take the boat out of the water and discovered human remains and bodies. However, the identities of the humans were not confirmed by the authorities; an investigation has been launched into the matter to determine the cause behind the incident.  

According to the police officials, their teams are working to investigate the matter thoroughly and find the origin of the boat, the cause of death and any potential suspect behind the incident.  

The boat was first discovered by workers in the area who further complained to the higher authorities and noted that the condition of the bodies was not inappropriate and consisted of an unpleasant odour. Lieutenant Khadija Lamy who is the public affairs officer at the Coast Guard added that there are no additional details about the incident and the investigation on the matter is ongoing.  

The work is also underway to retrieve the pirogue from the water as the boat will be taken to Tobago with towing procedure. The nationality of the deceased people has also not been confirmed by the authorities yet.  

May 2021 incident of drifted vessel 

The same incident was recorded in May 2021 when 14 decomposing bodies and human remains were discovered on a boat adrift off the coast of Belle Garden, Tobago. The deceased were identified from Mauritania as seven mobile phones and foreign currency was retrieved from the body by the local police after the inspection.  

The incident had made waves across Trinidad and Tobago as it was referred as “ghost boats” which was carrying migrants from African counties by the citizens. It was believed that the migrants had been lost along the Canary Route.