BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government has confirmed that former prime minister, Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here early on Monday.

It did not give details surrounding the death of the 86-year-old politician, but said that a period of national mourning will be observed until June 28 “and on the day of the State Funeral after consultation with the family”.

In addition all flags will be flown at half-mast until the interment of the island’s fourth prime minister from 1987 to 1994 and later served as Barbados’ first resident ambassador in Beijing, China from 2010 to 2013.

The government statement said that Labour and Social Partnership Relations Minister, Colin Jordan, will be the coordinating minister for the funeral arrangements as it extended “sincerest condolences to his wife, Lady Sandiford, his son Garth, his daughter Inga and his extended family”.

In 1967, one year after independence, he was appointed to the Senate. Sandiford left the Senate to run in the 1971 elections , in which he won a seat in the Parliament. The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) under Errol Barrow formed the government and Sandiford served in many cabinet positions including as Minister of Education.