The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have recovered the remains of two unidentified bodies in Abaco, bringing the official death toll from Hurricane Dorian to 67.

Speaking to reporters at a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) press conference Monday, Captain Stephen Russell, NEMA director, said as the debris clearance continues, officials acknowledge that more corpses may still be among the rubble in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Captain Russell said: “The police on the island of Abaco recovered remains of two unidentified bodies. One in Dundas Town, Abaco on Monday, October 28, and one in The Mudd on Thursday, October 24, this year. I mentioned recovery efforts are ongoing as the debris clearance continues.”

When asked for an update on missing persons figures, the NEMA director told reporters to contact police for the most up to date information. 

“As it relates to missing persons, the missing persons desk has been deactivated,” he said. “All inquiries should be made at the Central Detective Unit (CDU) in New Providence and in Grand Bahama.”

On October 10, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said that police have reports of just 282 people still being missing.

Two hundred and fifty-two of them are from Abaco and 20 from Grand Bahama, he said at the time. Mr Dames stressed that official missing persons lists must come from the police in part because if there is a need to involve the Coroner’s Court to declare someone dead, police represent the government at such proceedings.

His comments came a day after Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell said 1,208 were still unaccounted for following Hurricane Dorian. At the time, the Ministry of Social Services moved to publish an advertisement in The Tribune featuring the names of 1,208 missing people. However, the ministry later pulled the ad amid confusion about the correct figures.

To date, there are 777 persons remaining in five shelters in New Providence, according to Deputy Director of Social Services Kim Sawyer. She also noted the deactivation of the Calvary Church shelter in Centreville. 

She said yesterday: “As of Sunday, October 27, there were five shelters operating on two sites. At the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, we have 294 persons. There are three tents on the site at Kendal Isaacs. Tent A 136, tent B103, tent C 107 which gives us the total of 640 persons on that site.

“On Friday, we deactivated the Calvary Church on West Avenue in Centreville. At the time, we deactivated there were 47 persons there, 38 registers at Kendal Isaacs. At Bahamas Academy, we have 137 persons which gives us a total of 777 persons remaining in the shelters.”