The Barbados hotel where the three Vincentian students who died in a car crash on Sunday did their internship has pledged support for the families of the deceased.
In a statement Monday evening,
General Manager of The Crane Resort, Sean Alleyne, expressed on behalf of the management and staff of the resort “profound condolences to the family and friends of the students”.
Aziza Awanna Dennie, 19, of Redemption Sharpes; Daneé Deverey Horne, 18 of Questelles; and Carianne Lee-New Padmore, 18, of New Prospect, died when the car in which they were travelling got into an accident with a van around 3 a.m. on Sunday at Graeme Hall, Christ Church.
The three Vincentians, students of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, died on the spot.
Also killed in the accident was their Barbadian driver, 23-year-old Andre Jabarry Gittens.
“We join the people of St. Vincent today in mourning the loss of these promising, young individuals who are gone far too soon,” Alleyne said in the statement, circulated by email.
“Six weeks ago, these students joined our family, as they participated in and successfully completed our internship programme, and it truly breaks our hearts that they were unable to return home.”
The internship was part of the students’ curriculum at the Community College.
Alleyne said: “As we try to come to terms with this tragic loss, we pledge the full support of The Crane in the provision of counselling and other support services, to the families of both the deceased and the survivors, Kemelius Boyea and Darren Daniel, during this difficult time.”
Boyea and Daniel, two Vincentian students who also participated in the internship, were injured in the accident and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told the Vincentian Parliament on Monday that they are expected to be “OK”.
Gonsalves, along with Opposition Leader Godwin Friday, Minister of Education St. Clair “Jimmy” Prince, and MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock, expressed condolences on the passing of the students.
Parliament pays tribute to Vincentian students killed in Barbados