100 dangerous inmates on run in British islands flattened by hurricane
...as Boris FINALLY flies in to face Britons stranded by Irma
MORE than 100 prisoners convicted of serious crimes escaped during Hurricane Irma, threatening ‘the complete breakdown of law and order’, a minister admitted yesterday.
They broke free from a prison holding convicted killers and rapists on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, where at least five people died in the storm.
Forty of the escapees were described as ‘high risk’ and Royal Marines were sent to the island to protect its governor. A curfew was also imposed amid reports of violence and looting.
Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan told the Commons there was a ‘serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order’ on the islands struck by the hurricane last week.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in the Caribbean last night and is expected to visit the Virgin Islands and Anguilla, both British Overseas territories, following days of criticism that the Government had been slow to help those living in the region.
The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Ocean – which was ordered to the Caribbean five days ago to help the recovery effort – was last night still in Gibraltar.
Speaking on board a flight to the Caribbean last night, Mr Johnson said his trip was a ‘very important statement’ by the UK Government to show
‘Breakdown of law and order’
it was ‘here for UK nationals’. He said the hurricane had been ‘an unprecedented catastrophe’ and that the UK response would continue long-term.
Pressed on how he thought he would be received during the visit by those affected, Mr Johnson said: ‘Most fairminded people have said that the UK responded extremely fast and extremely well.’
He added he had been ‘amazed’ by the ‘resilience and community spirit’ of those affected.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman admitted there had been ‘a few delays’ loading supplies but insisted the Ocean was due to set sail for the Caribbean overnight.
Mr Johnson’s visit comes after similar visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch king Willem-Alexander, who arrived at the Caribbean territories which were hammered by the storm earlier in the week. The Dutch king said the scenes of devastation he witnessed on St Martin were the worst he had ever seen.
Britons told of chaos on some islands as water supplies and food ran out after the Category 5 storm hit last week, killing at least 35 across the region.
British tourist James Tuffin, 32, described looters armed with machetes and guns in the Frenchrun island of St Martin. He said he hid in a hotel room with no running water or electricity for days because he was terrified to venture outside, before he was eventually evacuated on a US Army flight.
In Tortola, the largest of the Virgin Islands, part of the roof was blown off Balsam Ghut prison, which is notorious for overcrowding, violence and drug abuse.
Local press reports detailed at least five stabbings inside the prison in the last three months.
Sir Alan told the House of Commons yesterday: ‘We had a serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order in the Virgin Islands ... The prison was breached. Over 100 very serious prisoners escaped. We had to cope with the threat that followed from that.’
Cabinet briefing notes spotted by a photographer in Downing Street suggested that 40 high-risk prisoners had since been recaptured and were to be transferred to St Lucia. It was not clear how many were still on the run. The Foreign Office said 54 British police officers and 180 troops had been sent to the islands to recapture the remaining prisoners ‘as quickly as possible’.
The eye of the hurricane passed directly over the Virgin Islands, causing damage worth more than £1billion and residents described a ‘feral’ atmosphere on Tortola.
Sir Alan said Royal Marines and police sent to the Islands had ‘maintained and kept law and order’, and said there were now 997 troops in the region.
More than 500,000 British nationals are known to have been in the path of the hurricane.
Britain has pledged £32million in relief funds but shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said the Government’s response was ‘too little too late’. She said the security situation was deterioratfive ing in many islands and there was a growing risk of disease and waterborne infections for those awaiting help.
Sir Alan said Britain was continuing to work to evacuate holidaymakers and other British citizens living in the region, and said the Foreign Office received calls about 2,251 Britons needing help since the hurricane. Nine tons of food and water supplies were being flown out to Anguilla, while HMS Ocean is expected to arrive within ten days with further aid.
Sir Alan also revealed that 420,000 Britons were in the US state of Florida when it was hit by Irma this week.
The Florida Keys, a string of islands off the southern coast home to 70,000, were hit particularly badly. It was estimated that around 25 per cent of the Keys’ houses have been destroyed while 65 per cent suffered major damage.
More than 15million are without electricity, accounting for half the state, and energy companies have warned it could take up to ten days to restore power in some areas. At least 11 are thought to have been killed by the storm in the US so far.