[UPDATED] 5 Cedros fishermen missing at sea

PEOPLE in Trinidad, as well as in Venezuela, are searching at sea for five fishermen, including a 60-year-old man and his son, 35, who went missing over the weekend when they left Fullarton Beach in Cedros for a fishing expedition.

Up to February 29, the whereabouts of captain Davanand Seepaul, his father David Seepaul, 60, and three others, Shiva Seepersad, 20, Jeremiah Pasqual, 18, and Braiyer Alexander Gonzalez Ali, 21, remained unknown.

All except for Ali live in Fullarton Village. Ali, who has dual citizenship with Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, lives in Curepe.

The men were last seen when they left Cedros on Februaru 24 around 4 pm on a 28-foot pirogue named Amanda.

That was the last time their families heard from them, and the pirogue was also reported missing.

The families reported that the men know the area and are accustomed to going to the Gulf of Paria.

On February 29, scores of worried relatives and residents gathered at the beach where the group left. Other people were at sea searching for the group.

Relatives alerted members of the NGO, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team led by caption Vallence Rambharat.

Vishnu Seepaul, David's brother and Davanand's uncle, spoke on behalf of the Seepaul family.

David is a father of seven, while his missing son Davanand has three children.

Seepaul said the group was expected to return on the night of February 24 or early the next day.

On February 25 around 10 am, he was asking about their whereabouts, having realised they had not returned.

He began calling their cell phones, but the calls went straight to voicemail.

"We do not know what is going on. Afterward, the villagers came together and went searching all over at Icacos and different ports, but there were no signs of them or the boat," Seepaul said.

"Even if the boat had capsized, there is nothing to show that. No one saw anything. We do not know what happened out there, but it is a hurtful thing. We consider everyone family here."

He criticised the Coast Guard officers, saying when relatives went to report the men missing on the afternoon of February 25, they were told that no boats were available to go out to search.

"Their response was poor. So if something happens about half a mile or quarter mile at sea and we go to report it to them, we cannot get any help. Up to today, I have not seen them searching. We cannot say what happened out there," Seepaul said.

Seepaul added that water current can sometimes pull a vessel to Trinidad or Venezuela waters.

Seepaul said David is the grandfather of Matthew Andrew Sookoo, 14, also called T-man and Soldier, who died in March 2021. The Cedros Secondary schoolboy had fallen overboard at sea in Cedros in a boat accident.

His body was recovered at sea two days later. The family, he added, is still trying to cope with that tragedy.

Seepersad's mother Pardatee Seepersad appeared dazed as she spoke to Newsday.

The mother of one recalled that on February 24, she left home at around 10 am to go to Chaguanas to visit a relative. Her son told her he was going at sea later in the day.

She returned at 5.10 pm that same day, and he had already left.

"Since he was about 15, he has been going fishing. I am worried too bad. He left with my cell phone, which keeps going to voice mail. My brother and others went out to look for them," she said.

Pardatee added that when she went to bed on Febraury 24, she was not too worried because it was normal for him to run late.

But the next day, when no one heard from him, the family became worried and alerted the Coast Guard and police officers.

Chamin Ali-Mohammed, Ali's aunt, said he lives in Curepe but visits Cedros often as he loves the sea.

For about two weeks, he has been staying with friends in the community.

From what she was told, the crew might have gone near Venezuelan waters in an area called La barra de Cocuina.

On Febraury 25, the families found it strange that the men had not returned.

Apart from relatives in Trinidad, relatives in Venezuela also began looking for them.

"Everyone is concerned because up to today, they have not returned. Even in Venezuela, people are looking for them, and no one has heard anything there, not the Guardia National (national guards), not the relatives, no one.

Newsday tried to get a comment from the Cedros-based Coast Guard officers who referred all questions to the head office in Chaguaramas.

Newsday called the Coast Guard's public affairs officer Lt Khadija Lamy who said a statement would be sent to all media houses.

Up to press time, no statement was sent.

This story was originally published with the title "5 Cedros fishermen missing at sea" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

FIVE fishermen from Cedros who went out at sea on February 24 have been reported missing.

Missing are captain Davanand Seepaul, 35, his father David Seepaul, 60, and three other residents Shiva Seepersad, Jeremiah Pasqual and Braiyer Gonzales Ali.

The police said the group left Fullarton Beach, Cedros, in a boat named Amanda.

That was the last time their families heard from them. The boat has also been reported missing.

The families reported that the men are accustomed to going out in the Gulf of Paria and know the area.

On February 29, members of the NGO the Hunters Search and Rescue Team led by Vallence Rambharat joined other fishermen and the Coast Guard to search for the missing men.