CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – A vessel that was en-route to St Vincent and the Grenadines with relief supplies sank late Saturday when it was just some six nautical miles from its destination.

The marine police said that those on board the vessel – “Sunshine Angels”  were rescued by another boat.

The individuals who were on board the Sunshine Angels when it sank were captain, Mark Clement St Rose, who lives in St Vincent, and Vincentians Cafu Guy and Winsbert Salton Harry.

The police disclosed that the boat had cleared Customs in  St Lucia and was on its way when the mishap occurred about 4.40 p.m. The incident is being investigated.

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First Caribbean Bank Sends Relief Supplies to St. Vincent

CIBC FirstCaribbean has sent a shipment of much-needed supplies to St Vincent and the Grenadines as the region rallies to assist the thousands of people in the island who have been displaced by the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano.

The shipment, which was coordinated by the Barbados Coast Guard, left the island on Thursday evening aboard the Admiral Bay which was due to arrive in St Vincent early Friday morning, to be presented to the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).

The relief supplies, which include more than 40 pallets of food, water, cleaning supplies and sanitary items, were purchased by funds donated by the bank’s charitable arm, the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation.

The foundation’s chair and the bank’s Chief Executive Officer Colette Delaney said the bank shared a “deep concern for the well-being and safety of the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines as they are confronted [with] the twin threats of an erupting volcano and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic”.

She said the eruption in St Vincent and the subsequent ash falls in Barbados and neighbouring islands demonstrated how interconnected the islands of the region are. She also noted the sense of community demonstrated within the Caribbean in times of disaster which, she observed, was borne out in how quickly the Caribbean reached out– within hours of the first eruption – with offers of aid to the people of St Vincent.

“It is a testament to the closeness and sense of family of our region. We’ve seen this in times of disaster and need over and over again. It proves that despite our differences of opinion and sometimes our squabbles, family always comes first. Our thoughts immediately go to the people of St Vincent and our prayer is that they will continue to be safe,” Delaney said.