A body suspected to be that of Rosignol fisherman, Suraj Dhaneshwar, who reportedly fell overboard last month, washed up on the Dantzig, Mahaicony foreshore on Monday.
On March 15, there was a boat mishap 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, had left home the day prior to head out to sea to fish with his captain on the 36-ft wooden boat, which was equipped with a 40-hp engine.
The captain had reported that while in the vicinity of Bath Settlement, also on the West Coast, about 4 miles offshore, a large wave hit the boat, which capsized it. As a result, both men fell into the water.
Deputron, the police had said, related that about 10 to 15 seconds later, he managed to resurface and held on to the boat but did not see Dhaneshwar. The man further stated that the boat began to drift in the sea with him, and he was eventually rescued by another fishing boat, which was heading in his direction.
He related to them what occurred and they proceeded to search for the missing man but were unsuccessful. Subsequently, the captain was taken ashore and the mishap was reported to the police.
Search and rescue efforts were immediately launched for Dhaneshwar but were unsuccessful as they were only able to retrieve the boat’s icebox which had also fallen overboard.
On Monday around 10 am, fishermen in the Mahaicony area noticed a decomposed body which had washed ashore and immediately informed the police.
When Dhaneshwar’s relatives heard of this, they immediately went to Bailey’s Funeral Home where the body was taken, to determine if it was indeed Dhaneshwar.
His sister, Omawattie Dhaneshwar, yesterday told Stabroek News that she believes the body is that of her brother based on the build and several other features.
However, according to a police source, DNA will have to be retrieved from the heavily decomposed body to be sent for testing so as to properly determine its identity.
