Coast Guard boat to fetch stranded children from St Vincent

THE three children left behind in volcano-hit St Vincent when 75 TT nationals were brought home by the Galleons Passage fast ferry will soon be brought back to Trinidad and Tobago, well-placed sources told Newsday on Friday.

"A plan is being finalised to bring them home in the near future, likely utilising one of our Coast Guard vessels," a source told Newsday speaking anonymously.

On Tuesday the ferry took Defence Force troops and relief supplies to St Vincent after the La Soufriere eruptions and on its return trip it evacuated TT nationals from the disaster zone.

On Wednesday three youngsters had sought to leave St Vincent with others. The minors, aged from six to 17, were all set to travel alone. But Immigration officials stopped them after the Ministry of National Security raised concern about a lack of arrangement for parental supervision.

Newsday's Stephon Nicholas, who was on the ferry, reported the story in Friday's edition of the paper.

National Security Minister Stuart Young had told Newsday on Thursday, "The Government could not approve minors with no prior arrangements being in place to be brought to TT. The questions were asked as to where were the parents or guardians of these minors and no satisfactory responses were provided."