A family outing to Pigeon Point ended in tragedy on Wednesday evening when seven-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie of Barrackpore was killed in a jet ski incident.
The child, a pupil of San Fernando TML Primary School, was bathing with relatives shortly before 5 p.m. when it happened.
According to relatives, the child was inside the designated bathing area near the perimeter rope when a jet ski broke through the barrier and crashed into the family.
Saydee’s uncle, Darren Jogie, said he and other relatives were also struck.
“We were bathing at Pigeon Point not too far from the ropes, inside the ropes, and this guy with this jet ski, I do not know where he came from, hit me, my brother and hit the child. Two of them were unconscious one time. I could not catch myself. Saydee got the full brunt of the jet ski and her whole face mash up,” he said.
Family members and bystanders rushed to help the child, administering CPR on the shore before she was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
Despite the efforts of first responders and medical staff, she later died.
The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for stricter regulation of jet ski operators and better enforcement of safety zones at Tobago beaches, especially as the island experiences an increase in local tourism for the Easter vacation period.
Witnesses and social media users questioned why jet skis were being allowed so close to swimmers and whether adequate monitoring was in place.
One person wrote:“Hoping for a speedy recovery for that child … how many more of this unfortunate incidents needs to occur for those in authority to act and have those using these water crafts to use them far away from those who are bathing in the beaches?”
Another commented:“Having seen this innocent little girl this evening it was heartbreaking. There was not a dry eye on that beach earlier.”
The incident has also revived memories of previous jet ski tragedies in Tobago. In 2018, 13-year-old Shem Murray died after the jet ski he was operating struck a coral reef near Pigeon Point. In August 2023, Mathias Jerry drowned after falling from a jet ski near No Man’s Land.
