Grieving migrant: Help me to help my surviving family

The Venezuelan migrant who lost his wife and ten-year-old son in the recent shipwreck off Guiria, Venezuela, is trying to be strong for the rest of the family.

Heartbroken and hopeless, the 51-year-old man, who lives in central Trinidad, hopes at least to send food for the rest of his family.

"I apologise for bothering you. Please help me. Ask around for me.

"I am alone here. I already lost so much in the shipwreck. I do not have money to send anything for them and I work for very little," he said in Spanish by phone.

His wife Christa Linda, 36, a teacher, and their son, Christian Jose (last names withheld), were among the group of Venezuelans who died off the coast of Guiria last week. Their boat left Guiria, a coastal town in the state of Sucre, for Trinidad on December 6. On December 12, officials found the first set of bodies floating at sea.

Up to Thursday 23 had been found. The search for other possible victims continues.

Scores of Venezuelans bade a heartbreaking farewell to Christa Linda on Wednesday night. She was buried next to her son’s body. His funeral took place the previous day.

The mother and son were hoping to spend Christmas with the migrant, and possibly stay in TT.

Several media companies, among them Diario Qué, Reporte Confidencial and La Patilla, reported on the mother's funeral. It took place in darkness owing to the lack of electrical power, the reports said. Photos show weeping relatives surrounding the coffin as pallbearers placed it next to the same concrete enclosure that held her son's remains at La Salida cemetery.

Speaking about the funeral was too much for the bereaved husband and father.

"It is tough. It is tough. I am mourning alone. My daughters are staying with their grandmother," he repeated.

On Wednesday, when Newsday met him at a friend’s home, he tried to hide his grief when his elderly mother video called him on WhatsApp. He kept telling his mother to be calm and relax. He insisted that he was fine, but broke down and walked away, wiping his tears.

Venezuelan authorities have arrested two people, including the owner of the wrecked boat.

The Venezuelans sought to escape the deepening Venezuelan crisis and decided to make the treacherous journey to TT, whose borders have been closed since March owing to the pandemic.