Headlines:
| 90 Ghanaians stranded in Barbados |
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| Friday, 28 March 2008 | |
What was
hailed as a path-breaking direct flight between Africa and the Caribbean has
ended in distress for up to 90 holiday makers from Ghana.They were left stranded in Barbados for over a month because their charter aircraft failed to return to the island to take them back home. Ghana's deputy foreign minister has called the episode an embarrassment for his country. The stranded passengers said they have been forced to work illegally on a construction site and get by on aid and shelter from kind Barbadians. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Barbados media reported that the government has been in contact with the Ghanaian Embassy in Cuba to discuss the return of the passengers. One hundred and forty-nine Ghanaians arrived in Barbados on the direct inaugural flight from Ghana for a two week vacation on February 1, but after the holiday ended some of the passengers who had paid US$2,000 for the trip said Ghana Airlines failed to return to Barbados. The trip was organized through the private sector by Ghana travel agents Seasons Travel and Tours and Remac Tours in Barbados. |