Families of missing fishermen hold out hope

SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

THREE years ago, fisherman Edmund Charles survived an 18-hour ordeal at sea with only a plastic bucket to keep him and another man afloat after they had been thrown overboard by pirates off the coast of Moruga.

It is this resiliency which is now giving hope to Charles’ family that somehow, he will survive at sea despite being missing since Tuesday night.

Charles, 40, also known as Blues, his brother-in-law Kel Hagley and Edward Williams have been missing since Tuesday night after a boating accident just off the coast of Los Iros beach. Around 7.15pm, the boat Charles was captaining, called ‘Blues’ ran into Williams’ boat, ‘Lisa’, sending seven of the men aboard the two vessels into the open water. Fisherman Kibwe Simon, 31, was the only person to escape the incident unhurt and managed to rescue three injured fisherman, Joey Seerattan, Kewayne Primus and Jerome Mitchell. Fisherman Sheldon Dandre Guerra was killed instantly and Simon managed to also put his body in the badly damaged Lisa and take the boat back to shore.

Yesterday Shawn Charles, 42, told Newsday that despite the length of time his brother has been missing, he refuses to believe he is dead.

Despite the number of people gathered at the beach, the normally vibrant fishing community seemed subdued yesterday as relatives and neighbours anxiously awaited any news of the missing men.

Fishermen have been scouring the areas off the coast of Erin and Los Iros since Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning, TT Coast Guard officers joined in the search efforts. However, there have been no sightings of any of the men or the vessel Blues.

“Other people are saying they probably dead by now but I will never believe that till I see his body, my brother was maybe the strongest, most hardworking man I ever know and I know he will never just give up,” Shawn said.

“I remember on September 19, 2015 getting a call from fishermen down on Moruga beach who told me my brother get throw off a boat by bandits.

One of the fellas on his crew couldn’t make it in the rough water and drowned but Blues remain in that water for 18 hours with only a bucket to keep afloat. If anybody could survive this now, it is my brother.”

Newsday’s archives show the deceased was 23-year-old Marcus Haniff. Shawn said if the worst is confirmed, his 12-year-old niece and 17-year-old nephew will be orphans. “We not giving up looking for him. I don’t want to tell them children they don’t have a mother or a father again. No child should have to pass that so young.”

Addressing rumours about the nature of the accident, Shawn said, “People quick to talk about drugs, but my brother was not involved in that. He is an honest, hardworking man.”

Williams’ common-law wife, Brenda Balfour, was also present, waiting for any news on him or the others.

She has resigned herself to hearing the worst and as tears tracked down her face yesterday, she said her biggest concern now is how her young children will react. She and Williams have three children together.

Arlene Austin, whose fiancé Kewayne Primus is at hospital in critical condition, said Primus suffered a gash to the head, a fractured pelvis and broken bones in the crash, and doctors at the San Fernando General Hospital have been unable to stabilise him.