Former Prime Minister Keith Rowley is calling for a ban on jet skis near bathing areas at Pigeon Point Beach in Tobago following the death of seven-year-old Angelica Jogie.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Rowley said the tragedy, which unfolded at the popular beach, underscores the dangers posed by jet ski operations in areas used by bathers.

“There are too many other options available for jet skis to operate without endangering the public with these horrible outcomes,” he said.

Rowley urged the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to take decisive action, including instituting and enforcing a ban on jet skis at or near main bathing beaches at Pigeon Point.

“We need to make decisions that will keep jet skis away from bathers,” he said, adding that compensation for loss of life is no substitute for preventing such incidents.

He said the incident had a personal impact on him and his family, noting that they had recently spent time in the same area with young children.

“There, but for the grace of God, it could easily have been any one of us or more who could have been the victim of a similar accident,” Rowley said.

He also raised concerns about existing safety measures, including attempts to use rope barriers to separate bathers from jet skis.

“I did see an attempt to have a rope barrier as the jet skis whizzed past, and I felt uncomfortable because in the shimmering, splashing water surface that thin rope, largely invisible, is more of a hope than a protective deterrent,” he said.

Rowley noted that similar incidents have occurred in the past and warned that without action, more tragedies could follow.

“People have been killed here before. It has now happened again, and it will happen again,” he said.
He called for urgent action to prevent further loss of life.

“We need to act now before this, or worse, happens again,” Rowley added.

Rowley also expressed condolences to the family of Angelica Jogie, describing the incident as a painful tragedy.