Teen’s body washes ashore

Dec 15, 2020 News

Scene yesterday after Singh’s body was pulled to shore.

Dead Surendra Singh.

Kaieteur News – “Helpful, Honest and Easygoing.” These were the adjectives used to describe Surendra Singh, 17, whose body washed ashore yesterday on the Windsor Forrest foreshore, West Coast Demerara (WCD).
Singh, a member of the Windsor Forrest community, disappeared in the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean around noon on Sunday.
Family members, his neighbours and friends combed the waters to find him that afternoon, but he could not be found. They took a break and continued the search throughout the night, but to no avail.
One neighbour said that the Windsor Forrest community, including his family, still had hopes that he would be found alive.
That hope was shattered in the morning hours of yesterday, after searchers found him buried in the mud on the foreshore. As he was pulled closer to shore, many broke down in tears.
Singh and his friends; brothers, Zahir and Fieaz, aged 17 and 16 respectively; had left home around 09:00 hrs. Sunday for the seawalls. Their plan was to set up some 12 fishing hooks in the ocean. One of his neighbours, who spoke with Kaieteur News, said that fishing was something Singh loved.
“It was his hobby,” she said.
According to the woman, the teen had made many such trips in the past and was successful.
However, the one he made on Sunday ended in tragedy.
Kaieteur News reported that when Singh and the brothers arrived at the seawall, they ventured out some 100 meters away from the shore to set up the hooks.
At that time of the day, the water levels reached to their waists. Around noon, while they were walking back to shore, Singh and one of the brothers fell into the rough waters. Family members detailed that the tides rose on them suddenly.
The other brother, who was some distance ahead, turned around and saw them struggling to stay afloat.
He reportedly screamed for help and a man who was close by, jumped into his boat and rushed out to help them. The brothers were rescued but Singh went under and failed to resurface.
The neighbour said that she was at home when she got the news. “He was loved by the community so everyone rushed out to lend a hand in finding him.”
As they came to grips with the reality that he is no more, they reflected on the ways he touched their lives.
“He was poor, his family was poor, sometimes he did not know where his next meal would come from, but despite his struggles he found a way to make everyone happy,” said the neighbour.
She added, “He would help out when you need him, he would clean your yard, help fetch things, he was just so friendly.”
The woman also described him as a “hustler” searching for his daily bread. She said he turned his hobby into a trade.
“He would go out and fish and if he made a good catch he would sell it and use the money to feed himself and help his family,” recounted the woman.
Even if he did not sell the catch, the woman said, he would share some and take the rest home for his mother to cook.
Singh was deeply loved by his parents and siblings. He was the baby of his family. Neighbours said his parents had also tragically lost a son before. They, however, believe that it will be harder for them to recover from Singh’s death.

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