Trinidad authorities are searching for a Guyanese man in the waters off of Chaguaramas after a boat mishap yesterday morning left him missing and feared drowned.
According to today’s Trinidad Express, Brian Surez, a Guyanese went missing after the boat with seven friends capsized. The bodies of two of the persons were recovered while four others made it to safety.
The two dead persons have been identified as Derek Cardinez, 49, a one-legged massage therapist and employee of the University of Trinidad and Tobago of Emerald Drive, Diego Martin and 19-year-old Shakeena Martin, of Bhagaloo Street, Enterprise, Chaguanas.
Coast Guard divers with the assistance of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard and the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) were up to late yesterday evening searching the waters for the body of 35-year-old Surez.
The Express report said that the other four — Joan Dyer-Adolphus, Crystal Valvez, boat-owner Reynold DeSouza and another person identified only as Kissoon — managed to swim to shore.
The incident occurred off Williams Bay, near the Kayak Centre around 4.40 a.m., police said. The bodies of Martin and Cardinez were found around 9.30 a.m.
Police said Cardinez, Martin, Surez, Dyer-Adolphus, Valvez and Kissoon were in the water when DeSouza, who was known by a member of the group, approached with his pirogue named Al Mumin. The group, officers said, asked DeSouza for a “joyride” on the vessel, to which he agreed.
It was when DeSouza attempted to turn the boat around to return to shore that tragedy struck.
The occupants of the boat, police said, were all seated on one side of the vessel. On the other side was a large container filled with gasoline. The Express said that while DeSouza was in the process of turning the pirogue the container began sliding towards the group, police said. The boat overturned when they tried to avoid contact.
Public Relations Officer with the Coast Guard, Lieutenant Kirk Jean-Baptiste, in a press release said, upon receiving information from E-999, two Coast Guard interceptors, were deployed “to conduct immediate surface searches in the area”, the report said.
Achoya Narcis, the wife of Surez, who lived at Longdenville was inconsolable yesterday when she and other family members came to the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) Police Post to speak with officers, the report said.
“He believed in work and in church. He is doing his own business so he has to be friendly. He has to speak with people. He has to be nice. Sometimes I would have to beg him to go to the beach but he does say ‘Achoya you know how things does be going, let we stay home nah.’ We have a baby so he doesn’t really lime. He doesn’t do these type of things,” she cried.
