PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Nov 11, CMC -The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Wednesday said investigations are continuing into Sunday’s boating collision off the north-western peninsula involving two vessels amid conflicting reports regarding the actual number of people missing and now feared dead.
The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) in a brief statement said that it is aware of reports of an individual “who may be unaccounted for” and that the “information is being urgently verified in coordination with the relevant authorities.
“The Coast Guard Search and Rescue operations remains ongoing with personnel continuing to work alongside partner agencies. Any confirmed change to the number of persons unaccounted for will be communicated once verification is complete,” the TTCG said.
It urged the public and the media to “exercise discretion and sensitivity towards the families affected and to refrain from sharing unverified information”.
Initial reports had indicated that five people were missing after the two pleasure vessels collided on Sunday evening.
The authorities have named those missing as Ameer Mohammed, Keeana Seechan, Lorenzo Oliver, Anil Ahaye and a person named only as Titus.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said he was saddened by “the unfortunate boating accident” and that his thoughts and prayers firstly are with the families “that endure the uncertainty and grief arising from this tragedy
“I want to assure them and the general public that the investigation is being undertaken and will be thorough and will examine all the evidence which we obtained. With that in mind, I’m asking all persons who have any information as it relates to this horrible accident to come forward.
“Someone may have a video, someone may have witnessed something before, even after the accident that can assist us in putting the pieces together,” Guevarro said, adding that he wanted to “recognise the efforts being undertaken by the various agencies like the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Coastal and Air Support Unit, Hunters Search and Rescue, even the private citizens and foreign visitors who are currently assisting with the search and rescue operations.
“I also want to urge the public to allow the respective agencies to do their jobs and allow the fact-finding process to take its course,” he said, adding “as this matter is currently an active investigation, I will not be divulging any further details as it relates to the investigation”.
According to preliminary police reports, the collision involved a 28-foot Bowen pleasure craft named BAMBALEO and a 29-foot Chantelle vessel named BELBAGAI.
The police said that the BAMBALEO was travelling in an easterly direction when it collided with the BELBAGAI, which was heading west and that the impact caused extensive damage to both vessels and sent several passengers into the sea.
The BELBAGAI subsequently sank and the police said nine people from that vessel were brought ashore, while six others required medical attention.
A police spokesman said that the BAMBALEO was carrying 18 people, while the BELBAGAI had 19 people aboard when the vessels collided. He confirmed that all 18 people aboard the BAMBALEO were reported safe, but said five people from the BELBAGAI remained missing.
He said that the BAMBALEO and other vessels assisted in transporting injured passengers to the nearby Coast Guard base at Staubles Bay.
Meanwhile, the National Trade Union Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (NATUC) is calling for a full, independent and transparent investigation into the accident adding that it must be free from “interference, influence or favouritism”.
NATUC general secretary, Michael Annisette, who is also the president general of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU), said the organisation is concerned about allegations that a child, reportedly about 12 years old, may have been operating one of the vessels involved in the collision.
Annisette said that while the allegation remained unverified, investigators must establish who was operating both vessels, whether anyone permitted a minor to control either boat and who was responsible for supervision.
He also called for investigators to determine whether the vessel operators had the necessary training, qualifications and legal authorisation, and whether both vessels met registration, licensing and safety requirements.
Annisette said any child involved must be treated with dignity, protected from public harassment and afforded all safeguards required by law, calling also for the authorities to investigate claims that photographs, videos or social media posts allegedly showing the child operating boats on previous occasions had been removed.
“The removal of a post, on its own, establishes neither wrongdoing nor an attempt to conceal evidence,” he said, urging the Maritime Services Division, Coast Guard and police to examine the applicable maritime laws and determine whether any offences or breaches occurred.
He also called on the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to clarify the status of its draft Shipping (Small Boat) Policy, which proposes stronger provisions for vessel registration, operator licensing and safety inspections.
“The families deserve the truth, and they deserve to hear directly from the authorities as the investigation progresses,” Annisette said, adding that NATUC would continue pressing for accountability and stronger enforcement of maritime safety standards.
CMC/kj/ir/2026