The two Rosignol, West Bank Berbice fishermen; Mahendra ‘Rub’ Pertab, 29, and Kanhai Madramootoo, 41, are still missing six days after they went out to sea despite a massive search for them since Sunday.
Pertab, owner of the small red and white boat that was fitted with a 40-hp engine left the Rosignol wharf around 6:30 am on Saturday along with his brother-in-law, Madramootoo and was expected to return around 3:30 pm.
His wife, Debbie said two boats belonging to businessman, Bisram Somwaru with a team of fishermen combed the river but there was no trace of them. A Coast Guard vessel from Georgetown also joined the search on Tuesday but to no avail.
According to Debbie, the team called off the search in the water on Wednesday afternoon and decided to explore along the foreshore but again they failed to locate the men.
She had told this newspaper she was “hoping and praying” that her husband and brother were still alive. She also hoped that “persons working in big boats far out in the ocean may see them and rescue them.”
Every day she, along with relatives would wait in vain at the wharf for the search team to return with good news.
After the team returned from their search along the foreshore yesterday she was a little relieved that at least the men have not shown up dead.
She has finally accepted that “anything can happen… and maybe it had to happen like that” although she is terribly distressed and is hardly eating and sleeping.
She had told this newspaper she was not sure if they developed “engine problem or if the gas finished or if the water was too rough…” She had said too that if they drifted away and are stranded in the water they have no way of contacting anyone.
Debbie was hoping that Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy would visit the family. She pleaded for monetary assistance from the government to find the men and to send her three children, all under 10 years, to school.
She has not purchased school supplies for them as yet and had planned to do so after Ramadan when her husband earned some money. He and Madramootoo, a father of one, disappeared the same day that Ramadan ended.
