KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has dispatched a high-level team from the ministry to visit the Royalton Negril Resort and Spa in Westmoreland, where a section of the building which is under construction, collapsed this morning injuring several workers, some of whom are now trapped.

The ministry said the property, which is located on the site of the former Grande Lido Negril, is currently being renovated.

Minister Bartlett, who is overseas on official business, said: “We are very concerned about the safety and well-being of the construction workers and hope that they will all make it through this ordeal. They are in my prayers.

“As part of the ministry’s emergency response mechanism, I am sending a team to visit the property immediately and provide whatever assistance they can,” he said. “The team will also report to me regarding the situation on the ground.”

The team is being led by the Ministry of Tourism’s senior director of technical services, David Dobson, and includes Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Ian Dea, Executive Director of TPDCo Dennis Hickey, Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook, Senior Communications Strategist Delano Seiveright, and other government officials.

Minister Bartlett is currently participating in the 103rd Session of the Executive Council of the UNWTO, which is being held at the Trade Fairs and Congress Center of Málaga, Spain from May 9-11, 2016.

The minister is being accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith. He will return to the island on Sunday, May 15.