The Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 boat collision at Anse Cochon entered another day of witness testimony, this time hearing from grieving relatives of those who died. Their tearful accounts brought the human cost of the tragedy into focus, expressing profound grief over the loss of four young lives.
Among those testifying was Charlene Charles, mother of 21-year-old teacher Mhakeida Nestor, who called for accountability and stronger enforcement of maritime safety rules.
“I’m saying that this is something that could have been avoided. It was just a lot of negligence,” Charles told commissioners.
The community health nurse questioned whether the authorities responsible for maritime oversight had adequately performed their duties. She said the hearings had helped her understand the safety procedures that should have been followed and called for action to prevent another tragedy.
“I know the inquiry or anything else cannot bring my daughter back, but I’m hoping that the laws will be enforced,” she said.
Charles’s allegations form part of the evidence being heard by the commission, which has yet to deliver its findings.
For the grieving mother, July 18 began with an ordinary request from her daughter.
Shortly after 5 a.m., Nestor messaged asking her to collect a package. The two remained in contact through WhatsApp throughout the day, with Charles sending her daughter a video showing her the contents of the package. They did not see each other in person that day.
At approximately 1:42 a.m. on July 19, Charles received a call from her sister asking whether she had heard about a collision involving two boats. Her daughter had been aboard one of them, but her condition was initially unclear.
Further calls followed from Nestor’s father and a niece as the family tried to establish what had happened.
Charles contacted Soufriere Hospital, where she normally worked, but said she was asked to come to the facility without receiving confirmation of her daughter’s condition. While travelling there, her niece called again to say Nestor had died.
Upon arrival, Charles found the emergency room beds occupied by injured people. A doctor confirmed her daughter’s death, and police officers accompanied her to identify the body.
She told commissioners that officers did not brief her that morning on the circumstances of the collision or take a statement from her. Her statement was taken on July 22, the day of the postmortem examination.
Beyond recounting those painful hours, Charles described a daughter whose life had been filled with ambition, friendships and plans. “She was my firstborn,” she said. “She had a lot of hopes, dreams. She had a lot of plans.”
Nestor was a teacher and a first-year student in the teacher education programme at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. Her mother remembered her as academically minded, enthusiastic and particular about looking well put together.
She enjoyed going out with friends, especially during the carnival season. Nestor had also been preparing to move into her mother’s recently built home that same week.
Charles said the period following the collision involved repeated efforts to obtain information. She visited the marine base at Vigie, sought updates from the Criminal Investigations Department and approached the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office to inquire about the way forward.
She also maintained contact with the investigating officer, regularly asking about developments. Despite those efforts, Charles said she only learnt some details surrounding her daughter’s death through testimony at the inquiry. Among them was that Nestor’s body had been placed aboard a boat and taken to Canaries. “It was only through hearing the statements from the witnesses, I got to know a lot of what happened that night,” she said.
Asked whether she had received professional counselling, Charles said she had not and had relied on support from her family. She acknowledged that her nursing supervisors had offered her time away from work and continued checking on her wellbeing. Commissioners encouraged her to seek further support whenever she needed it.
Charles urged maritime officials to carry out their responsibilities and called on boat captains to show greater regard for human life. She also appealed for consistent enforcement of safety requirements, acknowledging that officials sometimes face criticism or interference when trying to uphold the rules. “Everyone has their job description. They know what they’re supposed to do,” she said.
Commission Chair retired Justice Mario Michel explained that further evidence was expected from witnesses and agencies involved in the incident, including police, fire personnel and maritime authorities.
He said the commission hoped its work would lead to procedures and regulations that could prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss.
When Charles expressed hope for a fair trial and appropriate penalties for those responsible, Michel clarified that criminal prosecution was the responsibility of other authorities.
Thanking her for testifying, he acknowledged that relatives could not describe the collision itself but could help the commission understand the lives lost and what families experienced before and after the tragedy
