Toddler drowns in Tobago

Medical staff at the Scarborough Regional Hospital tried in vain yesterday to save the life of two-year-old Javier Mc Letchie who drowned when he fell into the sea at  Roxborough in Tobago. According to reports, shortly after 2 pm,  Javier, was playing on the seawall just behind his mother’s business place when he fell into the sea. He was rescued by his elder brother, 18-year-old Keron, whose attempts to revive the toddler proved futile. According to eyewitnesses, after waiting at least half of an hour on an EHS ambulance, the Roxborough Fire Services truck was summoned to transport Javier to the Scarborough Regional Hospital. He was said to have been transferred to an ambulance on the way to Scarborough.

Javier, who was described as “barely alive” on arrival at the hospital, reportedly died in the operating room. A tearful aunt, Trudy Melville, told Newsday that playing by the sea was one of Javier’s favourite past-times. The family lives on the Roxborough coastline. “Because we live on the seafront, the sea always attracts the children. Don’t care how much you warn or beat them, they always gravitate towards the sea especially when the tide is low. There are no fences here.This was really an unfortunate accident,” she said. Residents have also expressed disgust at the fact that there were no ambulances available within the district as both the Roxborough and Delaford Health Centres were close to the scene of the incident and have several ambulances. The Roxborough Health Centre was said to have been “shut tight” at the time of the incident.