Families of victims of the MV Barima tragedy say they are still waiting for the long-term social, medical and psychological assistance promised by the government, with some relatives reporting that contact from state support teams has stopped.
Diane Cort, whose husband Neil remains missing following the July 18 sinking, said yesterday that a social worker who previously visited her household has not returned for about three weeks. “They used to send the social worker and I noticed since I am protesting, nobody hasn’t returned,” Cort said in tears as she spoke to Kiskadee Watch outside the office of Minister Juan Edghill in Kingston.
“For about three weeks now, nobody hasn’t come back to my home. Nobody has been in contact with us to tell us anything,” she said.
“Last night whole night I haven’t slept; my heart is paining me,” she expressed. “My husband left two months and couple days ago to go to work to provide for his family and never came back. Not even a trace; a jersey or nothing.”
President Irfaan Ali has said the government’s H.E.A.R.T. Initiative was established as a long-term, multi-stakeholder mechanism to address the immediate, medium- and long-term needs of families affected by the disaster.
The programme was intended to provide legal assistance with documentation and classification issues, mental-health care, medical attention, counselling, spiritual support and assistance for affected children. The government said support would address social, emotional, medical and financial needs rather than being limited to the immediate aftermath.
But Cort said such assistance has not materialised.
Gailann Thomas, whose family lost her brothers Kyle and Brian in the disaster, said the assistance received by her parents has so far consisted of two food hampers.
Thomas said the family is now focused on having the MV Barima salvaged so that relatives can recover the remains of one of her her brothers who is still missing. “We are demanding that the government salvages the vessel immediately. We need answers; our brother’s remains,” she said, adding, “It has been two months and no answers as yet. Time is going and my brother remains there.”
She said the tragedy had robbed her brother of his future. “A day like today my brother is supposed to be in school. Not under water. My brother had a brighter future ahead of him and he didn’t deserve that type of cruelty,” Thomas said.
The family is now calling for the vessel to be brought to the surface.
The MV Barima tragedy left at least 73 people dead, with 76 survivors rescued and about 30 people still unaccounted for.
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