Remains of the speed vessel from Sunday evening’s accident have been found in waters described to be more than 100 feet deep, as the search continues for Kristal Black who has been missing at sea.
Operations Manager of the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) Mr. Philip Aspinall confirmed the discovery of the speed boat during an interview with 284News on Tuesday.
He said the vessel was found near the area of the accident – between Frenchman’s Cay and Little Thatch – deep beneath the surface of the ocean.
“We discovered the wreckage in more or less the site of the accident from the witness report. The boat is on the bottom and in a hundred plus feet of water, so it’s very dark down there, the sun doesn’t penetrate that far, so visibility is next to nothing,” he said.
“So the guys are having to do it very painstakingly and obviously it is very deep so each individual diver can only spend about 20 minutes down there before they have to come up and adjust again. So we’re rotating a lot of divers to keep people at the bottom all of the time. But visibility is a problem, it’s just so dark down there,” he added.
Request made for continued USVI assistance
Aspinall also revealed that VISAR has requested further assistance from the United States Virgin Islands authorities who provided helicopter and marine assistance on Monday.
“We’ve asked for it”, he stated.
Family remains in good spirits to find their loved one
Meanwhile, the family of Kristal Black remains in good spirits as they continue the search for their loved one.
Father John Black penned a very emotional message on his Facebook on Monday as he thanked all persons involved in the search party thus far.
He said, “Thanks for the tremendous support everyone, I lacked nothing in the quest to find my daughter today.”
“I’m comforted with the support. If I cry it’s from the love and support as well as what I’m going through. If she [Kristal] was the boss, she would want me to tough it out and cry later. Ok bossy, daddy is in beast mode. The youngest to the oldest of your siblings are in beast mode,” he further expressed.
10 persons confirmed on board the vessel
A report from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) on Monday confirmed that 10 occupants were originally on board the vessel.
According to the police, seven of those persons were taken to the Dr. D Orlando Smith Hospital with one, a six-year-old girl succumbing to her injuries on arrival at the hospital.
“Five are still being treated; one was discharged,” the RVIPF stated.