In the night from Thursday to Friday around 1:30 am, the Operations Center of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) was alerted of a medical emergency concerning the MV Fish Farmer, a 24 m Haitian cargo with hull steel. Which was off Stella Maris, (Long Island, Bahamas archipelago) about 10 miles from the East Coast of Salt Pond.

The captain of the ship en route to Haiti from New Providence requested permission from the authorities to enter the territorial waters of the Bahamas. However, a little later, the captain of the ship informed that the woman on board who needed medical treatment had died and that there was a fire on board.

Local police officials assisted by residents using jet skis attempted to intervene but were unable to assist due to the intensity of the flames on the ship. In addition, rescue efforts were launched by the RBDF (aircraft) and the United States Coast Guard, which were hampered by the weather.

9 people were on board (6 Haitians and 2 Bahamians). Two Haitians (50 and 30) managed to reach the coast at Millers by swimming most of the night. According to the two survivors found by residents and the police, the boat had caught fire due to an explosion in the engine room... The survivors claimed that during the trip, a woman traveling on board and suffered from a illness unrelated to Covid-19, had worsened and died.

Despite these testimonies, health professionals carried out an initial on-site verification and noted that the men showed no sign of Covid-19.

The two survivors are currently in police custody in Simms (Long Island). However in accordance with the Covid-19 tests on the two men are currently being analyzed,

Six people still missing and search for possible survivors continues

TB/ HaitiLibre