RADHICA DE.SILVA
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Three boatloads of fishermen from Carli Bay have joined in the search for two fishermen who are now missing at sea.
This comes a day before the anniversary of the deaths of seven fishermen from Orange Valley, who were killed after being thrown overboard by pirates in 2019.
At dawn on Wednesday, the Coast Guard and the TT Police Service Coastal and Riverine Patrol Unit resumed the search for the two fishermen who are missing.
Police said Navindra Garib aka “Tall man” and Sutram Boodoo aka “Brain” left to fish in shallow waters off Carli Bay on Monday about 4 pm but they never returned.
Their boat was found abandoned in Granville while the stolen engine was found under a house in Cedros on Wednesday.
Resident Satesh Boodoo told Guardian Media that the disappearance had left them distraught. He said his brother Boodoo, 42, was never a fisherman. He said Boodoo has a five-year-old child and because of the pandemic he could not find work.
Unable to provide for his family, he decided to join Garib in fishing.
Because they only had one 75 horsepower engine and little money for gas, they fished in shallow waters and sold their catch at the market to make ends meet.
Since their disappearance the community has been fearing the worst.
Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram said the fishermen needed money for fuel so after getting financial aid, they left for the search before noon, today.
MP Ratiram has called for more patrols on the west coast and GPS trackers for fishing boats. He said Police Commissioner Gary Griffith had assisted in the search, along with the TT Coast Guard.
Guardian Media will bring you more details as this story unfolds.
