A wooden cross fitted with 14 light bulbs and posted in front of a Christmas tree in Port Antonio, Portland, is now the centre of attention among locals after the same number of persons perished in an accident at Dam Bridge in the parish.

Since the tragic accident, dozens of residents have raised questions about why a cross was placed at the tree in the first place, and how it is that the number of bulbs on the cross mirrors the number of lives lost.

"I believe there is something sinister about this Christmas tree," said Chester Simms, better known as Johnny Blacka, a resident of Boundbrook. "Dem cyan tell mi nutten. Dat cross is a death sign, and, see it deh, 14 smaddy dead. Smaddy know wah gwaan."

Ironically, the tree, erected by the Portland Parish Council, had its lighting ceremony on Friday, December 19, a little over an hour before the horrific accident that claimed the lives of 14 persons when a truck plunged into a ravine at Dam Bridge in the Rio Grande Valley.

Complaints scoffed at

However, Port Antonio Mayor Floyd Patterson, who scoffed at the complaints, accusations and suspicions drawn by residents, explained that he hired a carpenter to build a wooden cross without any knowledge of how many sockets were on it to fit bulbs.

"The cross represents the fact that Jesus came into this world as a baby, only to die for our sins," he said. "And that was the only reason it was placed at the Christmas tree. I am not even aware of how many bulbs are on the cross. Let me categorically say that any other thoughts conceived by individuals are without merit."

Meanwhile, some residents are maintaining that the cross, bulbs and Christmas tree were probably an indication that something tragic was about to happen that fateful Friday night.