The bodies of the two crewmen, missing after their tug sank off the Golden Fleece, Essequibo Coast foreshore, were found yesterday morning on the Queenstown, Essequibo foreshore, dashing their families’ hopes that they had survived.
Dead are Nigel Goriah of Ketley Street, Charlestown and Terence Hinds of ‘B’ Field, Sophia. Queenstown residents found the bodies around 7 am, four days after the men’s vessel, the William J sank. The bodies were found close to each other. Once again, relatives travelled from the city to Essequibo to identify the bodies.
When Stabroek News contacted Hinds’s reputed wife, ‘Grace-Ann’ David yesterday, the woman had just received the news and was overcome with grief. She said that Hinds’s stepfather had contacted her and relayed the news.
Also left to mourn is Hinds’s 12-year-old daughter.
Onica Sandiford, Goriah’s sister, told this newspaper that the police had contacted the family yesterday morning to inform them of the discovery. She said they immediately journeyed to the area. Goriah had four children including an eight-month-old daughter.
The men disappeared around 12.30 am on Friday after heavy rain and high winds battered their vessel and caused it to take in water. Police investigations revealed that the vessel had been tied to a pontoon that was being pulled by a tug, the Sea Quest. Four men, Captain Roopnarine, 59, of Albouystown; sailor Ray Richards, 19, of Kuru Kururu; Hinds, the engineer on the vessel, and Goriah were aboard when tragedy struck.
Police said the vessels had been en route to the Waini area when they encountered the stormy weather which caused the tow rope linking the pontoon to the Sea Quest to snap. The pontoon drifted and ended up at the Queens-town, Essequibo foreshore. Roopnarine and Richards had managed to grab onto a ‘fish pen’ post in the water and a passing fishing vessel had rescued them around 8 am on Friday.
David had revealed that early Thursday morning, she had received a telephone call from Hinds in which he said they were turning back because the boat was taking on water. She said that after not hearing anything further, she assumed that they had resumed the trip to Waini.
Relatives yesterday said the state of the men’s bodies will determine whether they will be transported to the city for burial or laid to rest in Essequibo.
