JDF rescues 17 fishermen after boat catches fire off Clarendon coast
Key Points(5)
- Seventeen fishermen — eight Jamaicans and nine Dominicans — were rescued at sea on Friday after their vessel caught fire off Portland Point in Clarendon.
- One crew member remains missing and is feared drowned, according to a release from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).
- The JDF reported that the crew had departed from Harbour View, St.
- Andrew, bound for the Pedro Banks, a well-known fishing area off Clarendon.
- Around 11:53 a.m., the HMJS NORMAN MANLEY, a JDF Coast Guard vessel, spotted a boat engulfed in flames about 14 nautical miles south of Portland Point.
Seventeen fishermen — eight Jamaicans and nine Dominicans — were rescued at sea on Friday after their vessel caught fire off Portland Point in Clarendon. One crew member remains missing and is feared drowned, according to a release from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).
The JDF reported that the crew had departed from Harbour View, St. Andrew, bound for the Pedro Banks, a well-known fishing area off Clarendon. Around 11:53 a.m., the HMJS NORMAN MANLEY, a JDF Coast Guard vessel, spotted a boat engulfed in flames about 14 nautical miles south of Portland Point.
The crew of the Coast Guard ship immediately converted the vessel into a fire boat to combat the blaze, while simultaneously deploying a smaller craft to search for survivors. During the operation, 16 individuals were found adrift in three small canoes nearby.
The rescued men were brought aboard the offshore patrol vessel, given hydration, and later transported to the mainland for medical attention.
The JDF has since launched a search for the missing crew member and is urging members of the public, particularly mariners along Jamaica’s south coast, to stay alert for any signs of the missing individual.
Anyone with information or sightings is asked to contact the Jamaica Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Kingston, which operates 24 hours a day, at (876) 976-8193 or (876) 836-1216.
