(Trinidad Guardian) – The National Security Ministry is investigating the cause of death of former National Security Minister Martin Joseph, whose body was recovered yesterday from a beach in Tobago.
According to reports, Joseph, who was on vacation, left Skylark Villas around 7 am. Sometime after, he went swimming at Grange Bay with a friend, George Caruth of Haleland Park, Maraval.
Joseph got into difficulty and Caruth was unable to help him to safety, reports said.
Officers at the Old Grange Police Station said they responded to a call and went to the beach, where they retrieved Joseph’s body, with the help of a 17-year-old young man.
Joseph’s body was brought to shore at about 8.50 am, according to reports.
In a release issued yesterday, the National Security Ministry confirmed that the body was positively identified as Joseph, and said they were probing his death.
The beach is known for large swells and is frequented by surfers. T&T Meteorological Office has recently been issuing rough seas bulletins for the west coasts of Trinidad and Tobago. Similar conditions are expected to persist at least until tomorrow, a Met Office spokesperson said yesterday.
The T&T Coast Guard got a call 8.05 am yesterday that Joseph went missing after he went swimming at approximately 7.40 am, the Ministry of National Security statement said. The Coast Guard base in Tobago was notified and searched for Joseph at sea.
“It was during their search the body washed ashore near Grange Bay and was recovered by the Old Grange Police,” the release said.
National Security Minister Gary Griffith and the Ministry of National Security extend condolences to the family and friends of Joseph and the People’s National Move-ment (PNM), the release said.
Political leader of the PNM Dr Keith Rowley hailed Joseph as a “stalwart” and described him as the Deputy Campaign Manger of the 2015 general elections.
Tobago House of As- sembly Chief Secretary Orville London described Joseph as “a good friend, a good comrade, a good colleague.”
THA Secretary for Tourism and Transporta-tion Secretary Tracy Davidson Celestine des-cribed his death as “a significant loss for the People’s National Move-ment.”