UK to send specialist assistance to Turks and Caicos after surge in fatal shootings

It is the second time in less than two years the Caribbean archipelago is seeing escalating violence, attributed to warring drug gangs

The United Kingdom is sending specialist assistance to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) following a surge in shooting deaths in the Caribbean archipelago.

Four men were found dead from gunshot wounds on the island of Providenciales on 1 and 2 February, and two more were killed during January.

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Turks and Caicos head said to question UK’s alleged failure to keep residents safe

Exclusive: Diplomatic row breaks out over UK’s alleged delay in helping combat murders and drugs trading

A diplomatic row has broken out over the UK’s alleged delay in helping an overseas territory combat a spate of murders and untrammelled drugs trading.

The de-facto head of state for the Turks and Caicos Islands is said to have questioned whether the UK was failing in its obligation to keep residents safe.

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Hurricane Fiona batters Turks and Caicos as Puerto Rico fights flooding

British island territory imposes curfew and urges people to flee flood-risk areas after Category 3 storm lashes Dominican Republic

Hurricane Fiona has blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 3 storm after cutting a path of devastation through the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico – where most people remained without electricity or running water.

The storm’s eye passed close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning after the government imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 30 miles (45km) from the center.

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‘I’d never seen a boat come in with so many bodies’: mortal cost of Atlantic migrant route

Every year thousands of refugees from conflict, climate and instability in Africa board vessels in search of a new life in Europe but hundreds never arrive

At 6.30am on Friday 28 May, three fishermen at work four miles off the southern coast of Tobago spotted a large white boat adrift on the dawn waters of the Caribbean.

As they drew closer, the trio saw the boat’s shape was far from local, and noticed a strong smell coming from inside it. The body the fishermen glimpsed at the bow was enough to confirm their suspicions. They called the coastguard who, unable to dispatch a vessel, asked them to tow the boat ashore at Belle Garden beach.

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Turks and Caicos: 20 people found dead, including two children, on boat

Officials say investigators ruled out foul play but were still trying to determine what happened

Authorities in Turks and Caicos are investigating after a boat was found drifting about a mile off Grand Turk island with 20 dead people on board, including two children.

Officials said investigators had ruled out foul play but were still trying to determine what happened. The identities and origin of the dead were also under investigation.

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The Latest: Maria to cause dangerous currents along US coast

Hurricane Maria is expected to soon create dangerous waves and strong rip currents along parts of the southeast U.S. coast as the Category 3 storm moves away from the Bahamas and into open water. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Maria continues to have maximum sustained winds of 125 mph .

The Latest: Hurricane Maria approaching Turks and Caicos

20, 2017. The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 yea... . Power lines are down after the impact of Hurricane Maria, which hit the eastern region of the island in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept.

PHOTOS: Hurricane Irma’s destruction in the Caribbean

SEPTEMBER 06: Debris is seen during a storm surge near the Puerto Chico Harbor during the passing of Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The category 5 storm is expected to pass over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today, and make landfall in Florida by the weekend.

Irma’s victims in the Caribbean brace for another hurricane

7, 2017, photo, damage is left after Hurricane Irma hit Barbuda. Hurricane Irma battered the Turks and Caicos Islands early Friday as the fearsome Category 5 storm continued a rampage through the Car... .

Hurricane Irma slams Turks and Caicos on path to Florida

Hurricane Irma battered the Turks and Caicos Islands early Friday and Cuba evacuated tourists from beachside resorts as the fearsome storm continued a rampage through the Caribbean that has killed at least 11 people, with Florida in its sights. Waves as high as 20 feet were expected in the Turks and Caicos.