Missing fishermen… HOPE DWINDLES

Jun 02, 2009 News

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Only ice box recovered

 

The search has intensified for four fishermen from Unity, Mahaica, who are missing following yesterday’s discovery of an ice box identified as the one that was in the ‘Sir Kegan’.
The box was recovered at Charity, Essequibo and this has led to increased fears that the crew might have suffered ill fate.

 

A member of the search team who had traveled to the Essequibo Coast told this newspaper that the ice box which was positively identified by the boat captain’s wife was towed to land by another fishing crew.
Kaieteur News understands that the ice box was found with fish inside on Thursday, the day that the ‘Sir Kegan’ crew was to return to shore.
It is now believed that the fishing boat may have sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the Essequibo Coast, one of the regular fishing grounds.
One of the search teams said that it is possible that the men might still be alive since they may have abandoned the sinking boat before it went completely under water.
He explained that for the fishing box to be found in tact, the vessel would have had to sink very slowly. However there is still no sign of the crew.
“We might gat fuh tek helicopter and go and search fuh dem,” the search team member said.
Yesterday, the search teams combed the Moruca and Pomeroon areas following reports that a boat fitting the description of the ‘Sir Kegan’ had been found.
However up to press time the vessel has not been located.
Police in the area told this newspaper that they had heard rumours of the boat as well as reports of bodies washing up at Moruca, but these turned out to be false.
“This morning (yesterday) a girl tell we that the boat find at Pomeroon.

We contact the police on two telephone numbers and one of the persons who answer asked me the colour of the boat. He said that the area where the boat deh is about 30 miles away and they will make checks,” Barbara Singh, a resident of the small Mahaica fishing community of Mosquito Hall told this newspaper.    
The search for the missing fishermen commenced on Sunday in eight fathoms of water, three days after they were scheduled to return to land.
The men had left on Tuesday last and were only outfitted to spend two days at sea.

 

Those missing are captain and owner of the ‘Sir Kegan’, Michael Ramlochan, 38; Peter Torres, 14; Ramlall Ramphal, and his cousin Basdeo.
Fears of the crew’s fate ran high over the weekend when the captain’s wife Nalinie Singh identified a piece of the boat’s flag which was brought ashore by another fishing crew.
“They see the flag and a piece of the seine. But when they come in, is then they know that we boat didn’t come in,” said Naline Ramlocan, wife of the missing Sir Kegan’s captain.
However, family members of the crew are keeping their hopes alive.
Yesterday, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud visited the relatives of the missing men and assured them that the authorities will provide the necessary assistance to locate the men.
While talking with the relatives, the Minister who was accompanied by Chief Fisheries Officer, Vivek Joshi, took the initiative to contact his representatives in Regions One and Two to enquire about steps taken to find the men or their vessel.
“I have sent the Fisheries officers to check. At this time you will hear a lot of rumours,” Minister Persaud assured the fishermen’s relatives.  
Family members are consoling themselves by hoping for the best. But as each day passes the anxiety is growing.
Nalinie Ramlochan, who was personally involved in the search on Sunday, was desperately trying to hold back her tears yesterday.
Her disposition betrayed her fears that the crew had met a dreadful end.
She suggested to Minister Persaud that divers comb the area where it is believed that the vessel sunk. She described the area as being about 54 feet deep.
Ramlochan disclosed that two crews of about 10 villagers had gone out to sea yesterday with the sole intention of trying to locate their missing colleagues or their vessel.
The crew of the Sir Kegan was last seen on Tuesday by another group of fishermen who left shore around the same time.
That crew upon its return, could not say in what direction the Sir Kegan crew went.
But Nalinie Ramlochan is still hoping against all hope.  
“I am still hoping because I have to hope. There are so many possibilities,” she told Kaieteur News.
Ramlochan said that her husband, a father of four, who has been a fisherman for the past 17 years, had never stayed out at sea for such a length of time.
Also meeting with Minister Persaud yesterday was Pamela Joseph, called Sandra, whose 14-year old stepson, Peter Torres, is a schoolboy and was not supposed to be out at sea.
 “Couple days passing and passing and me ain’t see dey coming. All dem fisherman come and I ask dem if dey see the boat out there and they said no,” Joseph recalled.
Nineteen-year old Dhanmattie Persaud, whose reputed husband Ramlall Ramphal called ‘Boyo’ is a member of the crew also met with the Agriculture Minister yesterday.
Last evening, at the home of one of the missing men, several relatives and neighbours who had gathered there rushed to meet the Kaieteur News team, thinking that good news of the men had arrived.
They appeared disappointed when there was no good news.
Barbara Singh, who was among the villagers consoling the missing men’s relatives, recalled that she had suffered a similar experience although under different circumstances.
Her husband Mark James from the same community had fallen from a fishing boat under suspicious circumstances while at sea eight years ago.
His body was recovered after seven days.
“Don’t talk about it,” she said.
“I assisting dem, telling dem what to do and who to contact because I pass through this before,” Singh added.
Another Mosquito Hall fisherman, Claude Scotland, fell into the Atlantic four years ago.
His body was never recovered.

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