After being aided by a merchant vessel, two Jamaican men who were lost at sea for some 34 days are in Belize tonight.
A ranking official from the Belize National Coast Guard spoke with Amandala today, saying that these men were part of a crew of five who left Jamaica’s Pedro Bank on a fishing expedition on March 21, 2010, on a fishing vessel, the Gentle Breeze, equipped with two engines.
The official also confirmed that the vessel’s engines lost power on March 22, and the crew had no access to communications equipment.
As a result, the vessel was forced to remain adrift at sea, along with its crew, for a total of 34 days with limited provisions until earlier this Sunday, April 25, when a merchant vessel, the Carib Navigator, which was on its way to Belize City, chanced upon the Gentle Breeze at about 60 nautical miles southeast of Belize’s San Pedro, near Chinero, Mexico.
The information from the coast guard official is that only two men from the crew of five survived, and they had been transported to the Belize Defence Force Price Barracks Medical Center in Ladyville for the treatment of extreme dehydration, weakness and malnutrition. They were later transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
The Jamaican men, whose names have not been released, were interviewed and they informed Belize authorities that three of the crew died and because of the advanced state of decomposition, the bodies, regrettably, were thrown overboard.
It was reported that there are plans by the Immigration Department to send the men home to Jamaica after they have received adequate treatment.
Another source told Amandala that the Carib Navigator attempted to tow the Gentle Breeze, but the vessel broke apart and is still adrift at sea.