12-year-old drowns in MoBay flood

The body of 12-year-old Jennel Walters, who was washed away along with her grandmother as torrential rainfall lashed Montego Bay yesterday afternoon, was recovered near the cruise ship pier in the tourism capital.

Her grandmother, 68-year-old Beryl Walters, who is feared dead, remains missing. The youngster, a first form student at the Montego Bay High School, was travelling with her grandmother, her grandfather Berris Walters and aunt Shannon Walters, along the Westgate main road when the car they were travelling in was washed into the Barnett River by floodwaters. Berris and Shannon were rescued by brave bystanders and members of the Montego Bay Freeport Fire Brigade.

Replaying the tragedy, Berris said they were on their way home from the Rose Heights community during the heavy rains when on reaching the Westgate area, he realised the magnitude of the floodwaters and stopped.

"We stopped near to the church and the water come and flood out the car and wash it down against the banking...then again water come again, spin it out and it overturn," he said.

"Me wind down the window and open the door fi come out. We see some men across the road and we call them fi help wi and they were coming. But before they could reach us, the water spin round the car and it wash weh."

"We wash weh down the gully for a good journey with mi a try fi ketch on pon anything me can ketch on pon. Me reach way down before me ketch on pon some grass and hold on," he added.

According to Shannon, she watched as her mother and her niece were washed away.

"Me haffe swim and hold on pon a branch. When me hold on pon the branch, the man dem come fi me and tek me out," recounted the 25-year-old. "When me a swim, me haffe swim with mi head up so that dem can see mi."

Clayvian Williams, one of several men who braved the floodwaters to rescue Berris and Shannon, said someone alerted him to the situation after the car overturned.

"By the time me look round, me see some people on the bridge and me just run off fast and tek off me clothes and rush to assist dem. When mi look down inna de water me see a man. Me run cross and hold him," he said. Williams said the only thing he could do was hold the elderly man, bracing his back against the river bank, while allowing others to pull him up.

Members of the St James Fire Department, the police, the Jamaica Defence Force and acting mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, were part of a search team that was activated to find Jennel and Beryl.