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Police Marine Unit Commander Finley Leonce said he has received information that the three men who were reported to be missing at sea have been found and are scheduled to return to St. Lucia today.
However, Leonce cautioned that this information has not been officially verified by the Police Marine Unit and similar authorities in neighbouring islands.
Leonce told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) this morning that the information that the men were found was obtained from a relative of one of the missing men.
According to the official, the relative said she communicated with one of the missing men last evening and she was told that they are okay and are scheduled to return to St. Lucia today or tomorrow.
The three young men – two from Marigot and the other from Soufriere – reportedly left the shores of St. Lucia on a”fishing expedition” on Wednesday, March 8, but family members, having not heard or being able to communicate with anyone of them for about four days, contacted the police, Leonce said.
Relatives did not say or could not say where the men were heading for their “fishing expedition”.
However, after obtaining the missing-at-sea report, Leonce said his Unit sought assistance from search-and-rescue agencies in the neighbouring islands.
He said the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) based in Martinique conducted two aircraft search and rescue operations over the weekend and reported “negative sightings”.
“Faxed messages” requesting port checks and searches in Martinique, St. Vincent and Barbados also resulted in negative sightings, Leonce said.
There has since been no official information to indicate that the men have been rescued or their boat was repaired, Leonce added.
“We have not been able to speak to the individuals themselves,” he said.
As such the Police Marine Unit will not officially state that the men were found.
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