00:00Captain of Hunter's Search and Rescue, Valence Rambarat, says the incident has exposed flaws in the monitoring and regulation of
00:08pleasure craft operating in local waters.
00:11He is calling for enforceable safety standards, including proper oversight of vessels carrying passengers, warning that without urgent intervention, lives
00:22could be put at risk again.
00:25The authorities have to put in place a regulatory framework to regulate all these vehicles.
00:33There's a lot more on. There's a lot moving from down the islands back into the harbor area where you
00:41have a lot of marinas, right?
00:43And that area, currently, in the manner in which it's operating, is a disaster, is a series of disasters waiting
00:55to happen.
00:57Rambarat tells the TV6 Morning Edition that reports of a child operating one of the vessels involved in the collision
01:04cannot be dismissed,
01:05as his team witnessed similar concerning situations involving young people and recreation of vessels during Monday's search operations.
01:15I was in shock, right? And it was happening yesterday while we were conducting search operations.
01:23It means that there is no situational awareness to what was going on.
01:47He tells the Morning Edition, search and rescue teams must also have equipment and resources needed
01:54to respond effectively to emergencies, whether at sea or in other critical situations.
02:00He stresses that operational readiness is essential to protecting lives and supporting recovery efforts.
02:08What we require at all times is to have certified equipment and gear.
02:16And if persons need to assist, they just call 799-1453.
02:21I am on the other end of the line.
02:24And we could always send you an invoice of things that we need.
02:29So life jackets need, we need life jackets currently, proper.
02:34A life jacket, a good life jacket, Marlon, is upwards of $800.
02:40So one, you could go and purchase a cheap one, but we wouldn't use it.
02:44Meanwhile, Rambarat says recovery efforts face significant challenges.
02:49With the water in the collision area reaching approximately 78 feet deep.
02:55He also warns that strong currents could carry victims beyond local waters into Venezuelan territory,
03:02potentially complicating recovery operations.
03:07Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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