Venezuelan migrant believes wife, son among 23 drowned in attempt to reach Trinidad

Longing to see his family, a 51-year-old Venezuelan migrant was elated on December 6 when his wife and ten-year-old son boarded a boat from Guiria, Venezuela, to make the treacherous voyage to Trinidad.

He believes his wife, Christa Linda, 36, and their son, Christian Jose (last names withheld) were among the group of Venezuelans who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Guiria last week.

"I know Christa protected our son to the end! She was a good woman," the man said as he tried to hold back tears.

Venezuelan media reported that 21 of the 23 bodies recovered between Saturday evening and Wednesday afternoon have been identified. According to checks by Newsday, neither Christa Linda nor Christian Jose was among the 21 identified.

Newsday learned that relatives identified the victims through tattoos and DNA testing. Parts of some of the bodies are missing.

The search was ongoing up to Wednesday and the number of missing people remains unknown. Some media outlets estimated the final number of deaths at more than 40.

The migrant spoke to Newsday at a friend’s home in Couva on Wednesday. He recalled that he last spoke with his wife at about 8 pm on December 6.

After that he lost contact and, from what he heard, the boat arrived in Trinidad and Tobago waters the next day. He claims that, somehow, the passengers did not disembark and returned to Venezuela.

Unverified reports have since surfaced on social media suggesting that the TT Coast Guard turned the group away, reports that government officials, including the Prime Minister and National Security Minister Stuart Young, have repeatedly denied.

On Wednesday, the migrant said he had planned for his wife and son to join him in Trinidad as he had made the island his home for the past year. He was looking forward to spending Christmas with them.

The man said he had registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency in Port of Spain.

"I do odd work here (in Trinidad) and get very little pay. I now have to help my family with funeral expenses. I have no money. Christa Linda’s mother is looking after the children. I have to provide for my daughters.

"A proper funeral can cost up to US$300. The country (Venezuela) is in a crisis."

Looking at photos on his cell, the bereaved man said his son loved baseball and played for a local team in Guiria. The boy was the youngest of the couple’s four children.

He said his wife worked as a teacher at Escuela Alejandro Villanueva but, owing to the crisis, she decided to come to Trinidad for a better life.

"My little boy was buried yesterday (Tuesday) at La Salina cemetery. He was my only son. I could not even attend his funeral in person. This is a tough tragedy. The wooden box was closed because his condition was terrible. I watched the funeral on my phone and the (internet) connection was not good."

The tearful man continued, "My wife was a good mother and wife. She was a professional woman. She was not getting a lot of money teaching. Her body will be buried next to his."

Newsday contacted the RC bishop of Carupano, Jaime José Villarroel Rodríguez, who was unable to confirm whether Christa Linda or Christian Jose was among the dead. He said, earlier in the day, he had officiated at the funerals of seven victims of the shipwreck.

"One was a pregnant woman. There were three children, and the rest were males. I will confirm the list for you tomorrow (Thursday)," the bishop said in Spanish by phone.

Since March 22, TT’s borders have been officially closed as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of covid19. Venezuelans continue to make treacherous journeys by boat, mainly from  Delta Amacuro State (Tucupita/Pedernales) and Sucre State (Guiria).

Local authorities have repatriated hundreds of Venezuelans who entered TT illegally since last year’s historic amnesty that allowed Venezuelan migrants to register, live, work and access government and health services in TT.