(Trinidad Guardian) Hope is fading for four Guayaguayare fishermen who have been missing since January 31. This follows the discovery of a decomposing body tangled in the thick underbrush of the Cocuina mangroves in northern Venezuela.
Mayaro MP Rushton Paray said the body might be that of Rishi Khemchand as a cell phone found nearby is believed to belong to him.
A contact in Venezuela posted videos of a decomposed corpse crouched in the tidal swamps on the borders of Cocuina. Officials from the Caracas Embassy are expected to liaise with representatives of T&T law enforcement and family members.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne promised that the mystery of the missing fishermen is being treated as a priority and is “being handled with sensitivity and diligence on both sides of the border.”
Paray said: “We have reached out to Minister Dr Amery Brown at the Foreign Affairs Ministry to offer assistance to the family in repatriating the body. At present, we continue to communicate with Mr Khemchand’s family.”
Leader of the Hunters Search and Rescue team led by Captain Vallence Rambharat said the verification process will begin once the body is brought back to T&T to determine the cause of death.
The discovery of this body has dashed the hopes of distraught relatives of the missing men who had been praying that all of the them would be found alive.
Heeralal ‘Linus’ Kooblal, 54, of Grand Lagoon, Mayaro, Rishi Khemchand, 38, Andy ‘Tallman’ George, 40 and the boat’s captain, George Joti have not been seen since they left Grand Lagoon Village, Mayaro, two weeks ago on a five-day fishing expedition.
Their boat, Benom 2 TFN 5906, was found capsized off Cedros near Venezuela on February 5. Lifejackets and rescue rafts from the vessel were missing giving relatives hope that the fishermen might be safe.
Dr Browne said all assistance will be provided to the families.
“I have remained in constant communication with the Ambassador of Venezuela and our Minister of National Security as the search continues. All developments and updates are being shared with the family members via their MP,” he said.
“This matter is being treated as a priority and it is being handled with sensitivity and diligence on both sides of the border.”
The discovery of the body came just days after a group of fishermen wrote to the Foreign Affairs Minister suggesting that the search for the fishermen be extended to the mangroves on the northern coastline of Venezuela.
The fishermen said they identified the area where the men went fishing and provided coordinates given by the captain of a boat who had been fishing nearby.
“The area in which the boat was located is irrelevant at this time because currents are underwater and since the boat sank, a study of the current chart shows it will end up where it did,” they said, adding that tides and waves can take the fishermen to the northern coast of Venezuela, which is purely mangrove.
“With this rethink, we are seeking the assistance of the Coast Guard and the Air Guard to check this area as thoroughly as possible. Nine years ago, the Air Guard picked up a Guayaguayare fisherman at Point Galeota and he was able to guide them to this same place where missing fisherman Matthew Brown’s body was spotted and recovered,” they said.