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Caribbean L 18 ife, May 3–9, 2019 BQ
In this Jan. 2019, photo provided by Luisa Garcia, mother of Yubreilys Merchán,
shows Merchan in Güiria, Venezuela. Merchán, a 23-year-old hairdresser,
survived when the wooden boat carrying her and other Venezuelans,
mostly women, sank on its way to Trinidad early Wednesday, April
24, near the Venezuelan island of Patos, 5 miles from a peninsula in the
Venezuelan state of Sucre. Carmen Garcia via Associated Press Deadly pirogue
trip to Trinidad
By Azad Ali
Hope is fading for 22 Venezuelan
migrants, who are feared drowned when
the fishing boat, which was heading to
Trinidad from the Venezuelan coast of
Guiria, overturned and sank near Patos
Island, near the Dragon’s Mouth last
Tuesday night.
Of the 34 on board the overcrowded
boat, 12 have been rescued while the
search is continuing for the remaining
22, most of them were said to be women
fleeing from the economic and political
crisis in their homeland.
The captain, Francisco Martinez and
passenger Yusmari were the first to
be rescued. Venezuelan officials said
the boat, named B/P Johnnaly Jose,
encountered engine problems 10 minutes
into the journey and capsized in
the choppy waters off Patos Island,
located about three miles from the
South American mainland.
The tragedy happened at night on a
popular route for refugees and illegal
migrants who pay traffickers to reach
Trinidad.
The boats sailed under the cover of
darkness, docking in quiet coves and
bays along Trinidad’s Gulf of Paria.
The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
reported that a total of nine people were
rescued on a beach near the Venezuelan
mainland. It said 16 people were
still missing in accordance with the
approved crew and passenger list.
However, an additional seven people
are reported missing who boarded the
vessel but were however not on the
approved crew and passenger list.
The Trinidad and Tobago Coast
Guard said it is continuing its support
of the Venezuelan Coast Guard in
the conduct of this search and rescue
operation near the site known as “the
mouths” between Venezuela and Trinidad
and Tobago.
The ill-fated vessel is reported to have
undertaken a three-hour trip to a beach
near the Chaguaramas in the west of
Trinidad.
Over the past three years, Venezuelans
have been fleeing their homeland
due to a deepening political and economic
crisis.
Passenger ferries travel between the
two countries weekly, but many Venezuelans
are forced to cross illegally on
fishing boats because they don’t have
passports to enter through official
ports.
Over the past weeks there have been
an influx of illegal Venezuelans coming
to Trinidad and Tobago by boats since
the Trinidad and Tobago government
announced on April 11, a two-week registration
process of legal and illegal Venezuelans
living in Trinidad and Tobago,
beginning on May 31 and ending on
June 14.
They would be allowed to work and
live legally in the country for one year.
The illegal migrants were trying to
beat the deadline so they could be in the
country to be registered.
The United Nation records as of May
2018 that there was an estimated 40,000
Venezuelans living in Trinidad and Tobago.
National Security Minister, Stuart
Young said there was no way to determine
the number of refugees in the
country and the registration would assist
in getting the necessary statistics.
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