A fifth day of witness testimony before the Maritime Commission of Inquiry into the Anse Cochon boat collision heard that an ambulance never arrived to collect injured survivors, who were eventually transported by boat after a wait of about an hour and a half.
Larry John, a security officer at Ti Kaye resort, told commissioners that six injured men were lying on a restaurant floor following the collision, some bleeding or appearing to have broken bones.
He recalled trying to calm the men as they repeatedly asked when an ambulance would arrive.
“They asked me, what time is the ambulance coming?” John said, explaining that he reassured them that assistance was on its way.
Asked whether an ambulance eventually arrived, he replied: “They never arrived at all.”
The commission heard that the injured men ultimately left on two boats.
John, who said he had worked as a security officer for almost 10 years, was on duty at approximately 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2026, when he heard what sounded like an approaching vessel, followed by a crash.
He was taking a break inside an upper-level restaurant at the time and believed the sound was coming from the direction of Castries, heading south towards Soufrière.
Questioned about a statement he gave police, John said the sound of the vessel hitting the waves led him to believe it was travelling quickly. However, he could not confidently say whether he had heard one vessel or two.
After hearing the crash, he went outside to look towards the sea but said the darkness prevented him from seeing what had happened.
He then contacted another security officer, Joshua, who confirmed that he had also heard the noise. John alerted his supervisor, and staff subsequently heard screams and calls for help coming from the water.
John described how men swam towards the resort’s floating dock, calling for assistance. Staff lowered a bridge and helped bring them out of the water and into the restaurant.
By the time he reached the lower area, he said, injured men were already inside. He joined the assistance effort and remained with them, trying to keep them calm.
None of the six men he saw on the restaurant floor was wearing a life jacket, he told commissioners.
Questions about visibility occupied a significant portion of John’s testimony. He repeatedly described the area as very dark and said the only light he could identify was a small light atop an anchored catamaran.
Commissioners pressed him on whether he would have been able to see lights on vessels travelling through the bay from his elevated position.
John agreed that the location offered an unobstructed view. Under further questioning, however, he clarified that he had been inside the restaurant, was not facing the water and only went outside after hearing the crash.
Although he maintained that he had seen no lights indicating a vessel travelling on the water, his account left uncertainty about what he could have observed before the collision.
John also told the commission that he heard no warning signals, shouting or change in engine sound immediately before impact.
He said it was not raining and described the sea conditions as normal. Asked about vessel traffic in the area, he explained that it varied, with heavier movements during festive periods sometimes continuing until after 2 a.m.
John later observed a vessel he recognised as a Marine Police boat searching the Anse Cochon area with lights.
Commissioners also asked about the emotional effect of assisting the injured men. John said the sight of so much blood and so many injuries had affected him deeply, although he was now feeling okay. “As a human being, I felt very emotional about it,” he said.
