11 people found dead in boat off Barbados

POLICE FORENSIC EXPERTS were this week trying to determine how 11 people, believed to come from an African country, perished at sea.

The badly decomposed bodies were discovered in the cramped cabin of a 20-foot unnamed boat drifting about 70 nautical miles off the Ragged Point, St Philip, Barbados coastline Saturday morning. {{more}}

Police and Coast Guard officials were up to press time unable to verify their origins, but preliminary investigations indicated the deceased, believed to be all men, hailed from western Africa.

Among some of the personal items found on board the floating graveyard were an undisclosed sum of Euro currency and a document indicating travel aboard one of Senegal’s airlines.

Sources close to the investigation believed the men, who were mostly dressed in

shorts and colourful jerseys, might have died from hunger and thirst or exposure to the

elements.

The drama surrounding one of Barbados’ worst cases of mass casualties began last Saturday morning when a fisherman reported the grim discovery to the Coast Guard.