Dominica’s police chief says the death toll following the passage of Hurricane Maria has now risen to 27.
Police Chief Daniel Carbon, who made the disclosure during a press conference here early yesterday, said 18 people have also been confirmed missing, the Caribbean Media Corporation reported.
Concerning security, he noted that the police have been kept busy with the latest incident being a prison break that took place late Sunday in which four people escaped. However, he said two were captured shortly afterwards by members of the police force.
Carbon added that another challenge is that of “massive looting” in the capital and other sections of the island.
“I can report that immediately following the passage of Hurricane Maria we have had massive looting. Several business places in the city of Roseau and to a less extent in the town of Portsmouth had looting”, he said, according to CMC.
He said that to date 40 arrests have been made in relation to criminal matters and 86 people who violated the curfew have also been arrested.
Meanwhile, the Barbados Nation is reporting that Atlee Rodney, commander of the Regional Security Systems (RSS) on the ground in Dominica has called for calm on the island. He was speaking during a press conference at the Financial Centre in Roseau yesterday.
“There are presently 124 officers from Grenada, Barbados and Dominica on the ground under the RSS. These do not include the 60 Trinidadian officers who are also here on the ground. We are expecting another 40 officers on the ground later this evening,” he said.
The regional crew is coordinating relief and security efforts in the island one week after it was struck by Hurricane Maria.
