The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

MORE than a week after an earthquake in Panama sent their flights to Colombia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still cannot say whether all 54 Bahamians caught up in the diversions have made it home.

The Bahamians were among passengers on flights bound for Panama City that were diverted to Colombia after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, October 9. Some were sent to Barranquilla, in the north of the country, and the ministry has said Bahamians were also on flights diverted to Cartagena.

Passengers on one Copa Airlines flight from New Providence that landed in Barranquilla described being kept aboard for nearly 12 hours without adequate food, water or information about how they would continue their journey. One woman said in a Facebook post, reported by The Tribune last week, that she boarded shortly after 11.45am and did not get off the plane until 11.20pm. She said there were incidents on board that needed police involvement, that some passengers needed medical help, and that once they finally disembarked, there were no airline agents to arrange the accommodation they had been promised.

Yesterday, Ms Ali said the ministry activated a consular task force to track the affected nationals and coordinate with Colombian and Panamanian officials and Copa Airlines to help them continue their journeys.

Some passengers travelled from Bogotá to Fort Lauderdale, while others flew from Bogotá to Panama City before continuing to New Providence.

Ms Ali said the ministry had spoken with almost all affected travellers or their relatives, but wanted to contact each person directly to confirm their circumstances.

“I do like to reach out directly because sometimes our consular response, we’re not speaking with the person themselves, but we’re speaking with their grandma or their auntie,” she said.

She said the incident showed the need for better communication between the ministry, airlines and foreign officials during emergencies, particularly as more Bahamians travel through Panama to shop and to connect to other destinations in the region.

The ministry discussed its response with Panama’s new ambassador to The Bahamas, Ana Delgado, who pledged to strengthen communication with Copa Airlines so that future disruptions are better coordinated, Ms Ali said.

The earthquake, centred near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, damaged buildings and forced the temporary closure of Tocumen International Airport, Copa’s main hub. Panama’s Civil Aviation Authority listed eight Copa flights diverted to Cartagena and Barranquilla while the airport was shut.

Ms Ali also addressed the ministry’s response to the security situation in Saudi Arabia, where a small number of Bahamians live in cities including Riyadh, Mecca and Medina.

She said the ministry had checked on the Bahamian community following a missile attack at an international airport and was considering what travel advice to issue.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports this month. An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to the Associated Press.

Ms Ali said the ministry regularly updates travel advisories on its website, identifying destinations where travel should be avoided, where caution is advised and where travel should be limited to essential purposes.

She urged Bahamians travelling overseas to check the latest advice before leaving, and to make sure they have important contact numbers and websites for both their destination and The Bahamas in case of an emergency.