Last Updated on February 3, 2025, 6:37 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The St Kitts and Nevis Authorities have confirmed the identities of a woman and child among the nineteen decomposed bodies found on a drifting boat on Wednesday off the coast of Nevis. A gruesome discovery on January 29, 2025 was made after the Defence Coast Guard officials confirmed the sighting of a boat, after receiving a report between 11 am and 12 pm.
The vessel was traced and towed towards the Coast Guard base in St Kitts and during the further investigations, Mali passports were found, suggesting that some of the deceased individuals may have been West Africans.
Initial reports by the police
The initial statement issued by the police stated that 12 bodies were found, which then turned to thirteen (13), with the final confirmed count being nineteen.
In addition, officials reported some updates after the initial investigation and said that the individuals were already dead before entering the waters of St Kitts and Nevis. The boat had a foul smell with bodies decaying to the point that it could not be identified.
It is to be noted that prior to this incident a similar case of bodies being found in the Atlantic ocean near the south east coast of Trinidad was reported and no connection among bot the cases could be established till now.
Also, no evidence of foul play, failed human trafficking, or of murder has been found yet, making it difficult for the police of St Kitts and Nevis to track the reason behind the death of nineteen individuals as no markings were found on the boat.
Five decomposed bodies found in Trinidad
A few oil workers discovered a drifting boat that had a very strong smell on Saturday, January 25, 2025, floating in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeast coast of Trinidad. Upon investigation, the authorities found five severely decomposed bodies in the boat.
However, few reports assumed that there can be a connection in both the cases, but as of now no connection could be established by the authorities.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
