The police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines said on Tuesday that they found on the beach of Canouan Island a boat with the remains of 11 people, who they believe may have been from Mali. However, investigations are still ongoing to determine their identity.

In a video, Superintendent Junior Simmons stated that several passports recovered on the scene appeared to be from Mali. The remains were in a state of advanced decomposition and some were not completely intact.

Local police received a report on Monday morning at around 10:45 am (1445 GMT), about a 45-foot vessel which washed up in Little Bay, on Canouan to the south of this archipelago Caribbean country.

Simmons stated that the remains were transported to mainland St. Vincent in order to conduct further forensic and investigation procedures.

Authorities in nearby St. Kitts and Nevis said that they discovered a vessel in which they found 19 bodies. They estimated the bodies had been at sea a long time due to their advanced state of decomposition.

The identifications also suggested that some of the passengers came from Mali. Mali is a landlocked West African country located 6,200 km away (3,850 mi) to the east, across Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean near the West African coast has some of the most dangerous sea routes in the world. Strong westerly winds and currents can cause vessels to drift off course. (Reporting from Kingstown by Robertson Henry; Writing by Sarah Morland, Editing by Stephen Coates).

(source: Reuters)