KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Vincentians greeted the New Year in the same way that they said goodbye to 2009: with news of the tragic deaths of citizens.
Police in Kingstown are investigating the death of a physically-challenged woman and her mentally-challenged daughter, whose bodies were discovered in their burnt-out home at Lowmans on Monday.
They were also investigating a New Year’s Eve accident that claimed three lives, left some hospitalized and others nursing injuries.
Lawmen were on patrol in Lowmans, in West Kingstown around 2 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 4, when they saw fire coming from a three-bedroom concrete house where Zetilla Jacobs, 94, and Ivande Jacobs, 46, lived.
The fire department was summoned and the bodies of the women were discovered in the house after the blaze was put out.
The cause of the fire and estimated cost of the damage were not yet known Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, three persons died and several others were injured in a single-vehicle accident in Argyle on St. Vincent’s east coast on Dec. 31.
Police say that motor vehicle H 5668, driven by Michael Baynes of Park Hill, overturned about 8:40 a.m. last Thursday while travelling to Kingstown from Georgetown.
Bernadette Pompey, 37, a domestic of Chili Village and Romano Marson, 12, a student of Spring Village died on the spot.
Sonthie Ballantyne, 31, a labourer of Sandy Bay was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, according to police reports.
A number of other passengers were also treated at the healthcare facilities for various injuries while other others remained hospitalised on Monday.