The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that 66-year-old Trinidadian ship captain Anthony Murray died in the hours following his rescue from the fishing vessel ST VINCENT VII, according to a media release issued Wednesday.

The Ministry said Murray, who was among a six-member crew rescued from the vessel, began exhibiting signs of shallow breathing in the hours after the rescue, though he had appeared stable at the time and showed no signs of pain or discomfort.

The Ministry was subsequently advised by the crew of the MV MARVEL KITE, the vessel that had taken the rescued crew aboard, that Murray appeared lifeless within a few hours of the initial observation. At the time, the vessel was en route to St. Lucia for a rendezvous with the crew of Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel CG25.