Chandroutie Gewan, wife of Sumesh Martin, and her two sons are anxiously awaiting news of his fate
There has yet been no trace of the five missing fishermen of the No 66 Co-op Society up to late Tuesday afternoon, August 23, after a massive search launched on Monday. Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has met with family members of the missing men on August 24, as well as with officials of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and the police.
The missing men are Ouditnarine Ramnarine, Sumesh Martin, Khemraj Dhanpat, Narine Dhanpat, and Clifford Singh.
Kumarchan Bisnauth, son of the owner of the vessel Reshma and nephew of the Dhanpats, told this publication that he made contact with the search-and-rescue team and members reported that there has been no sign or trace of the fishermen.
According to Bisnauth, he spoke to his elder brother Rajendra via phone at some time around 14:00h on August 23, and was told that the search team had been scouring the Surinamese coastline for signs of the crew, but had nothing to report. He noted that the Reshma remained where it was discovered last Saturday, August 20, at Caroni, Suriname.
Rajendra is part of the 25- member search-and-rescue party that left the No 66 Co- op on Monday morning, August 22, to search the Suriname coastline between Caroni and Copenaam, where it is believed that the men, missing for 18 days, could have been dumped alive near the shoreline by pirates.
The nearest human habitation is estimated to be about three miles from that dense mangrove area; and there are fears that if the crew made it to land, they could have gotten lost in that mangrove jungle.
Bisnauth, who had made the trip last Saturday, August 20, to find the abandoned vessel, said the team was in an area called “Dry Bush” when he spoke with them.
He explained that the team is expected to return to Guyana on August 24.
