ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — The coach of the Dominica national football team, Kurt Hector, and player Nornan Jno Hope were killed yesterday, after the vehicle in which they were travelling plunged down a 100-foot sinkhole at Pond Case, south east of here.

The Dominica Football Association (DFA) said a third player, Joslin Prince, is undergoing surgery at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

The players were on their way to the Melville Hall Airport, north of here, to join with other members of the national team that was due to travel to St Vincent and the Grenadines to participate in the revived Windward Islands Football championship over the weekend.

The DFA public relations officer, Gerald George, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio, said that the accident occurred during the early hours yesterday and that the national team will no longer participate in the competition.

“Today is a very sad day for Dominica football,” said Cornelius Brumant, the manager of the national team.

Relatives wept openly at the Princess Margaret Hospital as the bodies of the two were being removed from the ambulance. A number of national players were also weeping.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who spoke on DBS radio before the deaths of the two men were confirmed, urged nationals to remain indoors, as the island is experiencing severe bad weather.

“I am calling on people to remain calm and be cautious,” he said, adding that there have been reports of rock falls and landslides across the island.

“All emergency and disaster people have been deployed to ensure that we can protect life and property,” he said, promising to address the nation later on Friday.