At least seven people, mainly students, have been confirmed dead after a minibus carrying passengers, plunged into the sea in the northwestern section of St. Vincent on Monday morning.
It is reported that five bodies have been recovered from the sea. One person died in hospital and another died while on the way to receive medical treatment.
Circumstances leading to the deadly accident are unknown and it is still unclear how many people were in the minibus.
A large crowd gathered at the site of the crash in an area call Rockgutter as emergency personnel worked through the day but efforts are being affected by rough seas.
Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, said the entire nation is struck by what he described as a “tragedy of national proportion.”
“We all grieve and ask God for guidance and strength as well as we lean on one another,” he said on national radio. “Some of the questions you have are not fully answered, that will come in due time. Right now it is the task of making sure that everyone is accounted for. We cannot yet give up hope because there is hope we can find additional survivors. As inhospitable as the conditions are, we have to hope…and we have to put the pieces back together and to see what we can do to try to ensure that this tragedy does not happen again.”
In light of the accident, Gonsalves has postponed his budget presentation that was scheduled to take place on Monday.
many hearts have been broken from this tragedy, innocent souls have been taken , our children are our pride and joy and as parent we know so well the pain of loosing them. My deepest sympathy to all of you parents trust in God, he is in control and remember all the wonderful times you have with your child or children, from the creation of birth to the giving of birth, and then raising them to be the special person each and every one of them are think of the laughter, the love and the joy they brought to your life and never let that go and always remember they would always remain your children. May God bless each and every one of you. my2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of…
Very similar situation happened in St Lucia sometime ago…
How sad…My prayers go out to all concern..
i feel sorry for the parents of this children
Will it take this tragedy for the powers that be to put stricter controls on these drivers?!
I hope so!
I always hire a vehicle because I NEVER feel safe in those vans.
I hear that they do not know the cause of the accident but, I can tell you now…
TOO FAST.TOO MANY PEOPLE!
Those drivers have no respect for the people that give them their living.
2015 begins very badly,all we’re hearing is death and terrorists attacks.my deepest sympathy goes to the families of St Vincent
How sad! My sympathy to the families and friends of the deceased; overall, the people of St. Vincent.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Amen! Lord, have mercy!
This is a time for reflection. We need to love one another and stop all this hatred among each other. You never know if u are coming back home, when u shut this door behind you. Love one another. May the lord bless the souls of these students. I pray to you oh lord that all people who were passengers in this bus, will be recovered. Amen!
St. Vincent you’re in my prayers and thoughts tonight…May the souls Rest In Peace!
2015 has not gotten off to a good start at all…terrorist attack in Paris…14 murders so far in Trinidad and now this. It’s really sad.
Only yesterday I received an email from T & T informing me of 11 murders. Oh my! Three more? What is occurring in T & T? What is wrong with those murderers? They are murder- hungry? I hope they are caught.
Here is the prayer, if DNO will allow it. It could also be prayed for Dominica.
Unite In Prayer for TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today, humbly lifting up our country Trinidad and Tobago. We ask Lord that You remove that dark cloud of crime that has settled over our land.
We know that with You all things are possible, and trust in Your love for the restoration of Peace, Love and Community in our country that is called by Your name.
Influence our leaders and people living in the two islands so that they can find an effective solution to restore law and order. We pray that You breathe a fresh breath of Your Holy Spirit over our land and remove all lawlessness, murder, road accidents, immorality and corruption.
Continuing –
Lord because we believe that You are Powerful and Mighty we place Trinidad and Tobago in Your hands and promise that we will do our best and continue to rejoice Your presence in our daily lives to stay focused on You shining a light of holiness upon Your people.
In thanksgiving we pray to You Father, in Your name AMEN
“If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins AND HEAL THEIR LAND” ……..Chronicles 7:14
PS: Please share this Prayer for T&T
I will add for Dominica and other countries. The entire world is experiencing dilemmas of every sort. We are all feeling it.
felling sad for the family
heart felt sympathy to the family and friends of this tragic accident
Yes I agree that the police need to be vigilant in the way that bus drivers drive it’s passengers because I remember I asked a bus driver to put me down if he continues on his cell phone. I am also concern about the use of the Point Mulatte to Petite Savanna rd for carrying passengers.
So so sad gods grace and mercy
There are no words. Hold strong St.Vincent. Our prayers are with you.
Looking at the area, it looks eerily similar to the bayfront at Champagne after Pointe Michel (heading south) or before (heading north)… similar meaning, above the sea, and NO SEA WALL…
My heart goes out to the ppl of St. Vincent and the grieving families. But over and over, I’ve battled with the thought of something like that happening at Champagne. I pray the Good Lord watch over us, and hope the people responsible make the sea wall at Champagne up to road level….. the sea wall at champagne, is way below the actual road, that a vehicle can simply slide off with no resistance against it….
May the deceased rest in peace.
The Lord giveth and he taketh and as much questions we have we cannot never ask him why? He knows it all. Hope the families find comfort in the Lord for only he alone knows what they are going through righ now. In time the pain will subside. May they rest in peace.
This is such a horrible thing to say! The Bible does NOT teach that! James 1:13 says clearly God does not cause evil to happen. That statement that the “Lord taketh” was made by Job BEFORE the prophet Elihu CORRECTED him and said “far be it for the true God to act wickedly” Job 34:10. The first chapters of Job show plainly who was behind his suffering, including the death of his children. What a lie preachers tell, no comfort! 1 John 5:19 shows the wicked one is in control of the world and THAT is why bad things happen. Which is why we pray for God’s kingdom to come to remove him. Until then we have comfort in knowing the bible talks about a hope for the dead. Please, please stop spreading that lie!
omg this is sooo sad
the families must be devastated!
I would like Traffic Dept in D/ca in collaboration with Government to look into the manner in which our bus drivers are driving on road with passengers on board . The lives of your passengers are important and they’re surely not toys or machines . Just look at the remains of steel , far more for the deceased . We cannot wait until tragedies occur to implement life saving policies . Whilst investigations are still ongoing which off course , the circumstances leading to this tragedy is not yet determined , face it what else can we expect but callous driving ? Condolences going out to the relatives and friends of the deceased . May God strengthen you all in this time of tragedy .
sooo true!!! All dog and cat turn bus driver now!!
so true some of them do not fit the criteria to be bus drivers . to transport tourist you must be certified, some of the buses are not fit to transport human beings. bad tires, bad shocks , faulty gears & brakes and bad manners to go with it all. the rascals.
so true some of them do not fit the criteria to be bus drivers . to transport tourist you must be certified, some of the buses are not fit to transport human beings. bad tires, bad shocks , faulty gears & brakes and bad manners to go with it all. the rascals. and when the police is out doing traffic checks they disappear from the road because their driver’s license , vehicle license & insurance is not valid they have no respect for the local passengers . coshon mowon
that y i do not travel on those jen ti tache,i kno it not easy to get a C license which is needed to drive passenger buses
Gorillas
I agree with your comments.
There are a few bus drivers from Scotts Head who believe that they are driving on a Grand Prix circuit. These guys are driving too fast and too dangerously on the Pointe Mitchel/Soufriere Road and they do not sound their horns when they are approaching corners.
Guys Lewis Hamilton you are not! So, stop risking your passengers’ lives.
I’ve never travelled in St. Vincent, even though I’ve been there, but I understand your drivers really fly on those roads in the hilly areas. This is total madness! What sane person would speed on a road flanked by a ravine? And to make matters worse the roads have no barriers. SLOW DOWN! What is the point of speeding if you are not going to make it? It didn’t need the loss of seven lives to send you that message. Use your COMMON SENSE!
My prayers are with the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, especially the familiies of the victims. May God grant you solace in this time of grief and sadness.
sad my heart goes out to their families
So very sad. May the good Lord grant grace and strength to family members. I hope there are survivors though the picture above leads me to think of the worse.
oh my God! look upon your ppl Lord Jesus
This is a very sad moment
Very sad indeed…