Police on the Caribbean island of St Vincent (SVG) on Tuesday said several passports, which appear to be associated with the Republic of Mali, a West African nation, were recovered among 11 bodies on a vessel that was discovered at Little Bay, Canouan, St Vincent.
It is unclear whether there is a link to two separate migrant boats: one carrying approximately 80 people, including 25 from Mali, that sank off the coast of Morocco in December 2024, and the migrant vessel that sank en route to Italy in April 2025; the latter was carrying Cameroonian, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Mali citizens.
Police on the Caribbean island say the vessel, which was discovered on Monday, May 26, measures 45 feet in length, 12 feet in width, and six feet in depth. It bears no name.
“The remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, and some were not fully intact. Several passports were recovered at the scene, which appear to be from the Republic of Mali, a country located in West Africa. At this stage, no official identification of the deceased individuals has been confirmed”, police stated.
Videos from the Grenadine island of Canouan, a dependency of St. Vincent, showed different-colored clothing, shoes, bags, life vests, and pieces of human bone scattered across the beach where the boat was found.
A police statement on Tuesday said the remains were transported to mainland Saint Vincent, where they are being kept at the Kingstown Mortuary located in the island capital, pending further forensic and investigative procedures.
St Vincent police say the matter is an active, ongoing investigation and will provide further updates.
