The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, who is currently overseas on official business, has expressed condolences to the Government and people of the United States in relation to the shooting carried out by a lone gunman in the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida at around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, 12th June 2016.
“We grieve with you and are shocked and outraged at yet another senseless act of violence that now represents the deadliest mass shooting in the United States, and the worst attack since 9/11,” says Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade.
While assuring the affected families and communities of her prayers, the Minister has also used the opportunity to thank Jamaicans in the Diaspora who have remained in constant communication with the Jamaican Consulate in Miami, as they work together assiduously to account for all Jamaicans.
“Up to this point in time, we have not received any information indicating that Jamaican nationals have been affected. However, checks continue,” states Franz Hall, Consul General for Jamaica to Miami. He explains: “The Consulate has been in touch with several Jamaican community leaders in Orlando to ascertain whether any Jamaican nationals were affected, and we have also requested the City’s assistance in identifying Jamaican nationals who may have been affected by this tragedy.”
The Consul General also advised that the Office of Foreign Missions in Miami has triggered its emergency response mechanism. “The verification process however, may take some time, since nationality is not recorded with the names of persons who have been killed or injured,” the CG explained further.
The Jamaican Consulate in Miami is reaching out to the Mayor of Orlando, Buddy Dyer in that regard.
