15 persons still missing at sea --- no proper investigation was conducted in BVI.
BVI/ PHILIPSBURG:--- Authorities in the British Virgin Island deported the two culprits that are responsible for trafficking humans from St. Maarten to St. Thomas. According to information SMN News received from the relatives of the missing Cubans states that the boat captain and crew are from the Dominican Republic. However, SMN News managed to obtain the names and nationalities of the two men that were residing on St. Maarten and are responsible for the possible deaths of 15 people that were on the boat Beul Spirit that was transporting at least 19 persons (mostly Cubans) illegally to the US.
Of the 18 persons on board the ill-fated vessel, four of them were rescued by a passing boat sometime on Monday. The captain and crew are 27 year old Daniel Cassell, national of the Dominican Republic and resident of St. Maarten, and 38 year old Adian Gould of St. Vincent who was also a resident of St. Maarten. The other two persons that were rescued are 53yrs old Rodriquez VAZQUEZ VLADIMIR and 32yrs old Fernandez MAINE YASMEL both of Cuba but was residing on St. Maarten illegally. The two Cubans are held in BVI immigration detention.
It is clear that BVI authorities did a premature investigation and deported the two persons that are responsible for the deaths of at least 15 persons. They failed to contact authorities on St. Maarten to even inform them of the fatal incident that claimed the lives of 15 people prior to deporting them to their countries of origin namely St. Vincent and the Dominican Republic.
The ill-fated boat began taking in water and eventually sank somewhere in the vicinity of Virgin Gorda. While four of the people that were on the boat were rescued on Monday San Juan R.C.C only contacted St. Maarten/ Curacao Coast Guard for assistance on Wednesday and requested assistance for the search of the missing persons on board the ill-fated boat Beul Spirit.
On Thursday and Friday the Coast Guard of St. Maarten began assisting in the search with a dash 8 aircraft, despite the efforts by St Juan R.C.C and St. Maarten none of the bodies or the boat were recovered.
