A Rosignol family is holding out hope that a missing fisherman, Suraj Dhaneshwar, will be found alive after the boat he was in capsized on Tuesday night.
The mishap occurred as Dhaneshwar and the captain of the boat, Oneil Deputron, were returning with their catch to the Three Door Fishermen’s Co-op, located at D’ Edward Village, West Coast Berbice, directly next to the Berbice River Bridge.
Dhaneshwar, also known as ‘Sonny,’ 28, of Lot 49 Railway Line, Rosignol, West Coast Berbice, left home Tues-day morning to head out to sea to fish with his captain on the 36-ft wooden boat, which was equipped with a 40-hp engine.
According to his relatives, the men were expected to return yesterday morning as normal. However, the captain has said their boat capsized about two miles away from the wharf as they were returning with their catch. Deputron was rescued by another fishing boat that was heading out to fish during the wee hours of yesterday morning.
The Guyana Police Force said yesterday that Deputron went to the Blairmont Police Station around 08:20 hrs and reported the accident.
He said around 21:00 hours on March 15, 2022, in the vicinity of Bath Settlement, also on the West Coast, about 4 miles offshore, a large wave hit the boat, which capsized. As a result, both men fell into the water.
Deputron, the police said, related that about 10 to 15 seconds after he managed to resurface and held onto the boat but he did not see Daneshwar. The man further stated that the boat began to drift in the sea with him, until he was rescued by another fishing boat, which was heading in his direction. He related to them what occurred and a search was carried out for the missing man but was unsuccessful. Subsequently the captain was taken ashore and later reported the mishap to the police.
Search and rescue efforts were launched for Dhaneshwar but had been unsuccessful up to yesterday afternoon.
Holding on
According to one of the fishermen who rescued Deputron, they saw him holding on to the capsized fishing boat “and we hurry pick he up and bring he in.”
Fishermen at the location told Stabroek News that the captain related to them that there was an issue with his engine shaft, which led to the incident. “He say like the engine shaft give out pon them and before them could do anything the boat turn over. Remember them na go get time to throw down anchor and so if that happen.”
Dhaneshwar’s mother, Sandrawattie Persaud, 64, along with the mother of his son, his sister and other relatives gathered at the wharf yesterday and they waited for hours to hear some news from the five fishing boats which were out at sea searching any sign of him.
Persaud explained that her son, a father of one, resides with her, and he left home just around 3 am on Tuesday. “I take out he food and I wake he and he get up take he food and he gone. And this morning the people who he working with come and tell me that he had an accident — the boat turn over and he na find,” Persaud said.
She immediately ventured to the wharf with her relatives and they were assured that several fishing boats had gone out to sea to search for the man.
Stabroek News was present yesterday when two boats returned from searching for the missing man. Dhaneshwar’s brother-in-law, who was a part of the search party, said that they only found an empty icebox from the capsized boat floating in the water. “We na see him no way. The water rough, rough,” the man said.
According to the brother-in-law, three boats remained out at sea searching for the man and they were later joined by the Coast Guard.
The mother of Dhaneshwar’s son also joined one of the boats to go search for the missing man yesterday afternoon.
Graveyard
Meanwhile, fishermen yesterday described the area where the incident occurred as a “graveyard.” According to most who were present at the wharf yesterday, they would normally head out about five miles away from the wharf to fish. However, they said the area where the accident occurred is usually the worst part of the trip. “We does call that part graveyard. The water so high like over that post (GPL utility pole) that you see there. And then with the wave it does be hard… You can cross here and if one other boat crossing next to you, you can’t see them,” one fisherman explained.
According to the fishermen, in December last year a boat capsized at the location but the occupants were quickly rescued by another boat that was coming in behind them.
Fishermen yesterday also called on boat owners to ensure that the boats are equipped with life jackets. One man said, “Some boats get couple but most boats na get. If we had we could a wear them all time so when anything happen you done get it on.”
Meanwhile, the missing man’s relatives are also calling for police to conduct a thorough investigation as they noted that Dhaneshwar and his captain had gripes with each other in the past. “He does tell me how he na like certain things how the captain a do it and he does cuss he and I does tell he why he na go work with somebody else,” the missing man’s sister noted yesterday.
However, Dhaneshwar and the captain have been working together for the last four years and were both described by fishermen at the location as “good people” yesterday.
