Girl, 14, found dead in Scottish park
MORE THAN 100 “very serious” prisoners have escaped from jail on the British Virgin Islands in the wake of Hurricane Irma, a minister has said.
Foreign Minister Sir Alan Duncan told the Commons that the convicts pose a “serious threat of the complete breakdown of law and order” on the overseas territory.
He told MPs: “The prison was breached, over 100 very serious prisoners escaped.”
Sir Alan said Marines from RFA Mounts Bay were used to “protect the Governor and everything else about law and order”.
He said that more than 500,000 British nationals have been in the path of the hurricane and that 997 British military personnel are now in the Caribbean helping with the relief effort.
He added that while the death toll was low for a storm of this magnitude, the infrastructure on the island of Barbuda “no longer exists”.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is visiting the British territories devastated by the hurricane.
Sir Alan said: “Over 500,000 British nationals, either residents or tourists, have been in the path of Hurricane Irma, which has caused devastation across an area spanning well over 1,000 miles.”
Giving an update to MPs, Sir Alan said five people had died in the British Virgin Islands and four in Anguilla.
Mr Johnson is expected to visit these British territories in the coming days.
In addition to the military personnel, 47 British police officers have also arrived in the British Virgin Islands to assist local officers.
Already, 20 tonnes of UK aid has arrived in the region, including more than 2,500 shelter kits and 2,300 solar lanterns.
Nine tonnes of food and water supplies are due to be flown out to Anguilla imminently, Sir Alan said.
He added that HMS Britain’s biggest warship in service, is heading to the Caribbean and should be there within 10 days.
There were 420,000 British citizens in Florida either as residents or visitors, where Irma had also caused devastation.
“We should all be humble in the face of the power of nature, and whatever relief we are able to provide will not be enough for many who have lost so much,” said Sir Alan.
“But hundreds of dedicated British public servants are doing their utmost to help, and they will not relent in their efforts.
“And I’m pleased to say that 24 hours later, or 48 hours later, we’ve been able significantly to reinforce the Marines.
“So we have maintained and kept law and order on the British Virgin Islands, which at one point could have dramatically threatened the already-unfortunate plight of those who had been hit by the hurricane.”
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry criticised the Government’s response for being “too little and too late”. She said it was “alarming” that almost a week had passed since the hurricane and Sir Alan was “still talking about the potential evacuation of British citizens”.
“With the security situation deteriorating in many of the affected islands all British citizens should be considered vulnerable.”
The first flights for stranded holidaymakers in Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean are due to start to arrive in the UK this morning.
Ms Thornberry said the risk of waterborne infections was growing on some islands.
A teenage girl has been found dead in a park in “unexplained” circumstances.
The 14-year-old girl was discovered in Bourtreehill Park, Irvine, North Ayrshire, at around 11.45am on Monday. A postmortem examination is due to take place.
The girl was a pupil of Greenwood Academy in Dreghorn. A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the school, called her ‘hardworking and conscientious’.