Trinidad: 8 year old dies after falling in water and trapping under overturned vessel

Trinidad and Tobago: An eight-year-old boy, Kaden Sandy, lost his life in a boating accident that took place off the coast of Centipede Island, Chaguaramas, in Trinidad.

It is reported that Kaden who is a student at Mucurapo Boys’ RC School and lived at Laventille Extension Road, Morvant was aboard the fishing vessel Perseverance along with his aunt and three others including the pilot Christopher Ragbir.

The reports added that the group was towing another vessel around 7:15 pm on Sunday, around 2 miles off Centipede Island. During the operation, the towing rope became loose which led to the collision of the two boats eventually leading to all the five occupants falling into the water.

A nearby vessel saw them and managed to rescue four of the five individuals, who were then taken to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard base located at Staubles Bay for treatment. However, the young child was found to be missing, and the Coast Guard responded quickly, only to find Kaden’s body trapped beneath the overturned vessel.

He was taken to the Coast Guard base in Trinidad, where the District Medical Officer confirmed his death, following which the body was taken to the Port of Spain Mortuary for examination.

Moreover, a passerby who was involved in the rescue shared his experience and said that when the adrenaline is flowing, one does not really ask questions and it was just about saving the lives and getting the people out of the water.

He further recalled that he was just driving by and saw the commotion inside the water following which he drove towards it and saw a boat underwater with its bow in the air while the people were in the sea. The individual said that he pulled them out and dropped them off at the Coast Guard base.

Meanwhile, the parents of Kaden Sandy, Jules Sandy and Abigail Jones ais calling for a full investigation into the incident. They also stressed the need for safety precautions, urging that all boat occupants should wear life jackets during marine activities.

The parents reported that the child lived with his grandmother, who allowed him to go to Chaguaramas with an aunt and the parents were not aware that their child was carried on a pirogue.

The father says he received a phone call that his son was missing. He claimed that no life jacket was donned on his child and therefore he drowned. He also said that the relatives are not speaking to him and are calling out the police to investigate the matter.