File photo: Five Islands, Chaguaramas, January 2014. Geographic context only; this photograph does not show the November 2026 collision or search operation. Photo: Grueslayer @Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unaltered photograph, resized for display. Image source · Licence.
By Tito Baron Media News Desk
An underwater drone was expected to support the search off Chaguaramas on Wednesday, November 11, as teams continued looking for people missing after Sunday’s collision involving two vessels.
In a Wednesday report by 103.1FM, Hunters Search and Rescue Team leader Vallance Rambharat said the previous day’s search had extended approximately one kilometre without results. He said an underwater drone was expected to assist. That report did not establish that the equipment had already been deployed.
At a Coast Guard briefing on Tuesday, November 10, five people remained unaccounted for. Public Relations Officer Lieutenant Lamy said 31 people had been involved in the incident and six had been hospitalised, according to the station’s account. No sightings had been recorded at the time of the briefing.
The five people identified as missing in Tuesday’s reporting were Kieyanna Seechan, Amir Ali, Anil Ahyee, Titus Augustine and Lorenzo Oliver. The figures describe the position reported at that briefing, rather than a final outcome of the operation.
The response has involved the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, other Defence Force personnel, the Police Coastal Unit and volunteer search teams. TTT News accompanied the Hunters team near Staubles Bay on Tuesday and reported that rough water and strong winds were hampering the effort.
Commander Ray Frederick said specialist divers and thermal-imaging drone support formed part of the search resources. Authorities also sought assistance from the United States Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue Planning Cell in Puerto Rico, according to the November 10 report by 103.1FM.
A Guardian report published on November 11, recounting Tuesday’s update, said underwater searches had begun while surface operations continued. An additional vessel had joined the effort, and the search area had expanded along the north coast.
Guardian journalists also accompanied volunteers around Monos Island and Scotland Bay, where teams checked shorelines and considered the movement of currents and debris. Those accounts illustrate the range of areas being examined as rescuers work across changing sea conditions.
Police and the Maritime Services Division are investigating the collision. The available search updates do not establish responsibility for the incident. The operation remains a developing story, with the latest cited missing-person count dating to the November 10 briefing.
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