An unconfirmed number of St Lucian fishermen are believed to have been killed in a recent lethal US boat strike in Caribbean waters, the latest in an expanding American military campaign against alleged drug trafficking vessels that has claimed more than 130 lives since last September.

St Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre on Monday confirmed that “people had lost their lives” under circumstances, but clarified that he had received no official notification on these circumstances to date. His statement followed reports that the burnt hulls of at least two fishing vessels had surfaced off Canouan and Bequia in St Lucia over the weekend, following the deadly US strikes on February 13 and February 16.

On Saturday, the US Southern Command announced the February 13 strike which it said was carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear in the Caribbean and had killed three more. The announcement did not indicate the location of the strike within the Caribbean, but according to local media, residents in St Lucia reported a flash of light on the water in Bequia, followed by a “massive explosion.” Images of the debris have since been proliferated on social media.