The four Berbice men who were reported missing after they left their homes on December 1st to go to Suriname to catch crabs have since been found.
The men phoned home late last evening to inform them of their location, after which a speed boat was deployed to bring them home.
Ramdat Goonraj, also known as “Azad”, 26, of Rose Hall Town, Nelson Dejonge, 22, of Fort Ordnance Housing Scheme and Yogeshwar Mangal, 23, of Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice, all returned home around 6 am this morning. The other crab catcher, Anand Deoharry, of Cumberland Village, East Canje Berbice, is expected to be transported home today.
According to Gooraj, they were stuck in an area in the high seas due to high tide, which resulted in them being rescued by a fishing boat with Guyanese fishermen. However, he said, while the men were fishing they experienced some difficulties with their boat, which resulted in Goonraj, Dejonge, Mangal and three fishermen from the boat deciding to walk from an area called “Bukerberry” to Nickerie for help.
He said since the track was a long and dangerous, Deoharry decided to wait on the boat. “He na able walk because of his foot pain”, Goonraj said this morning.
According to the father of three, after they reached in Nickerie, they phoned home for assistance.
Deoharry and the other fishermen are all expected to arrive in Guyana later today.
Goonraj’s brother-in-law, Sugrim Jaggeet, told Stabroek News on Sunday that the men’s boat was found in Nickerie, Suriname, on Sunday afternoon, with the engine, two containers of gas and about 500 crabs in the boat. “The boat owner send out a speed boat to search and them find the boat,” Jaggeet said.
He said a report had been filed at the Springlands Police Station with the police there contacting the New Amsterdam Police Station and it was indicated that the police there have since contacted the authorities in Suriname.
Jaggeet added that based on information received, they are assuming that the boat was stuck in the high seas. “One boat say how them see the boat but something been happen to the boat so they couldn’t go in where they deh because of the water,” he said. He informed that the men only took food supplies to last them for three days since that was how long they expected to spend at sea.
