Relatives of four fishermen who went missing over the weekend, had their worst fears confirmed when the bodies of two of the men were recovered yesterday by a search party at the mouth of the Pomeroon River.
The two men of Unity, Mahaica, 25-year-old Basdeo Ramphal a.k.a ‘Buddy’ and his 20-year-old cousin Ramlall Ramphal a.k.a ‘Boy’ were positively identified by relatives who had formed part of a search party.
Those still to be found are captain of the vessel, Sir Kegan, 38-year-old Michael Ramlochan, also of Unity and 14-year-old Peter Torres of the nearby village of Lancaster. The crew departed the Meadow Bank wharf last Tuesday for a two-day fishing trip at sea and was expected to return home by Thursday afternoon.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told Stabroek News that two bodies were recovered yesterday. Asked whether any wounds were observed on the bodies, Persaud said they were “in a state of decomposition” and a post-mortem examination will be conducted today on the bodies. Contrary to reports carried in sections of the media yesterday, Persaud said police ranks stationed at the Charity Police Station could not recall an ice box being found and taken there on Monday. He said an ice box from the boat which was positively identified by Ramlochan’s wife Nalini by recognizable markings, was found yesterday on the Bush Lot foreshore.
Shivnarine Doobay, a close friend of the two men found so far told this newspaper last evening that their bodies were recovered in the Pomeroon area yesterday afternoon. He said that he and other relatives of the two cousins positively identified the two young men yesterday. He said Basdeo’s body was pulled out of the Pomeroon River while Ramlall’s remains were tied close to the river bank. He said the team was unable to pull out the man’s body since the rising water and time caught up with them. The men were recovered sometime between 1 and 4 pm yesterday and because of the decomposed state in which they were found, relatives were pondering last evening whether to have the men buried at Charity. When this newspaper spoke to Doobay last evening, he and relatives of the men were at the Charity Police Station giving statements. They were also acquiring ice to store Basdeo’s remains and according to Doobay the team will continue searching for the other fishermen tomorrow.
Ramlall is survived by his 19-year-old reputed wife Dhanmattie Persaud and his daughter. His grandmother told Stabroek News yesterday that Ramlall had been living with his wife for two years now and he had been working on the sea within the past four years.
Doobay told this newspaper that Basdeo had been a close friend of his for sometime now. He said only two weeks ago the young man asked him to accompany him to the ‘passport office’ to apply for a passport but he did not have all the required documents. He said the two had planned to revisit the Central Immigra-tion Office this week.
Last Sunday relatives of the four-man crew were alerted that something was amiss when another fisherman informed them that he had found piece of a flag and part of a fishing seine out in the Atlantic on Friday morning. The items were positively identified by Ramlochan’s wife and a search party was immediately mobilized.
The men’s relatives told Stabroek News that after the men had not arrived last Thursday afternoon, they were of the opinion that the crew might have decided to spend additional time on the sea or the vessel’s engine might have encountered mechanical problems. According to relatives, the men would normally go out to sea on Tuesday and return by Thursday afternoon. An uncle of Basdeo and Ramlall Ramphal, Harry Ramphal told this newspaper on Monday that searches were carried out on Sunday but came up empty handed. Searches were also carried out yesterday with a search party travelling up to Moruca, North West District after receiving reports of a vessel being found in that area. That report turned out to be false when the team arrived in the area.
Meanwhile, residents of closely knit village of Unity were last evening mourning the loss of the fishermen. Relatives of the men told this newspaper that even though a few days had passed without them being found they still had hopes of them being alive. The men’s relatives told Stabroek News that they visited the Office of the President yesterday and had an audience with President Bharrat Jagdeo, asking him for his assistance in recovering the men’s remains using the GDF helicopters. While noting that their request was difficult to meet, they said the president promised to assist them in recovering the fishermen.
Last evening, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud told the Government Information Agency that he was “saddened and deeply hurt by the loss of lives and this certainly reminds us of how dangerous and risky fishermen’s activities are”. He said his ministry will continue to engage the fishing community to ensure safety on board while at sea.
