Four days after a small plane crash claimed the lives of five members of the beloved Bahamian group Da Pond Band, surviving bandmates are beginning to share how they plan to honor their fallen friends - starting with a tribute song.
Lead singer Shenia Roberts, who survived because she had traveled to Andros Island on an earlier flight, told CBS News she remains "still shocked" by the loss and announced plans to release a song dedicated to her five bandmates: Giovanni McKenzie, Mateo Winder, Rashad Storr, Tonique Gilot, and Travis Johnson.
What was meant to be the Bahamas' 53rd Independence Day celebration at Clifford Park was reshaped into a solemn national tribute. Performers scheduled to take the stage that day reworked their sets into subdued memorials, several incorporating gospel selections in honor of the victims. The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union formally recognized all 10 lives lost, calling their impact one that "touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas."
Fellow Bahamian singer Aniska Lewis, who had rehearsed with the band until 1 a.m. the night before the crash, described the loss as one that left the entire country "wrecked." "The last thing I said to them... I told them, listen, I love and appreciate y'all," she recalled.
On the investigation side, the Bahamian government has temporarily suspended the Air Operator Certificate of Flamingo Air, the charter company that operated the flight, as a precautionary measure while the Bahamian Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority determines what caused the crash. Officials have stressed the suspension is not a disciplinary action. As of this week, no funeral arrangements have been publicly announced, and a planned meeting between Flamingo Air and victims' families was postponed.
Singer Lamar Polhamus, who first spoke publicly about the loss on social media, described the band as having lost "the core, the heart, and the life" of the group, adding that healing "will be long and rough."
Related Article: Da Pond Band Mourns 5 Bandmates Killed in Bahamas Plane Crash Ahead of Independence Day Performance
