Spent around 36 hours in water
One of the two persons who was missing and feared dead following a boat accident which claimed the lives of five around 5:30 pm in the Corentyne River on Friday, turned up alive yesterday morning.
Sherry Haynes, in her 30s, a nurse of Brooklyn, New York made it safely to the Number 57 foreshore by clinging to a bucket and a bottle of water; she was also wearing her lifejacket. She was yesterday said to be badly traumatized and in seclusion.
She came to Guyana with her siblings: Sheila Gonsalves, 64, also of Brooklyn who perished in the disaster and Francis Gonsalves of Holland last Sunday to scatter their brother, Hector Gonsalves’s ashes.
Francis said Hector passed away on October 6, and they had already fulfilled his wishes of scattering his ashes in all the rivers in Guyana when his sisters decided to visit relatives in Suriname.
The others on the ill-fated Sevi 2 who perished were Roy Ramdass, owner/captain of the boat; Indranie ‘Birdlady’ Motiram, 49, of Crabwood Creek; Drupatie Bahagiloo called Nalini Ganpat, 45, of Hampshire, Corentyne and Ena Hope of Reno Hotel at No. 78 Village. Henry Gonsalves, the nephew of Sheila Gonsalves and Sherry Haynes had not been found up to press time yesterday. Another occupant of the boat, Leslie ‘Heads’ Austin, 25, of No. 78 Village swam to safety. He reached the No. 63 Beach around 8 pm on Friday.
The boat was originally hired to take the sisters along with their nephew, Henry and their friend, Ena Hope of Reno Hotel at No. 78 Village where the siblings had stayed.
Yesterday there was a sign in front of the Hotel marked, “closed until further notice” while it was observed that another speedboat service, operated by Ramdass’ brother, Eno continued but on a smaller scale.
Reports are that the propeller of the boat became entangled with fishing seines and this caused the boat to capsize. Though the vessel was equipped with enough lifejackets for everyone, Austin, Motiram and Ramdass were not wearing any at the time of the accident. Austin told this newspaper that he only put on his lifejacket after the accident occurred.
This newspaper understands that the boat left Suriname with 10 passengers but a boat from ‘Aunty Landing’, which was empty, stopped and collected two of the passengers after the captain realized that the Sevi 2 was carrying too many people.
Stabroek News learnt that the captain also asked if other persons would like to join his boat, but the passengers said no and he continued his journey.
Haynes related to her relatives that sometime during Saturday night as she was clinging for dear life to the bucket she saw Henry floating in the water as well and spoke to him.
Her brother, Francis told Stabroek News that because she was still traumatized by the ordeal he did not question her further on this. She was tired and exhausted from being in the water for so long that she fell asleep.
When she woke up on the shore at around 6 am yesterday after being in the water for about 36 hours, Henry was nowhere in sight. She looked around and spotted a farmer tending to his cows and called out for help.
Reports are that the farmer took her to his home and she took a shower and was given a change of clothing and food. She then contacted relatives to let them know she was safe before she was taken to the Reno Hotel at No. 78 Village.
This newspaper learnt that Haynes, Sheila and Hope were holding onto each other just after the incident when Sheila said that she was “drinking some water” and asked her to take her bag. After that Sheila went down and Ena followed.
A close friend told this newspaper yesterday that they were not allowing Haynes to speak to the media as witnessing Sheila and Ena going down was not easy for her to deal with.
“Being in the water for so long had also caused her to suffer minor injuries and she need to relax,” he said.
The friend said too that Ena Hope’s husband had hired the boat to take them to Suriname but Ramdass took in other passengers before they arrived. He said Sherry related that she protested loudly but the boat still left with the other passengers.
There are reports that one of the passengers carried heavy bags that contained Coca Cola, adding more weight to the boat.
Yesterday Francis who had gone to witness the post-mortem examination of his other sister, Sheila, 64, was relieved that Sherry had survived. He said Sheila would be cremated on Wednesday at No. 66 Village.
Seines
Meanwhile, boat owners are calling for the fishermen to “leave a lane free for the boats to operate so we won’t have to worry about not being able to see the seines.”
They said that they want this method to be implemented at least from 6 am to 6 pm.
This newspaper was at the Skeldon Hospital Mortuary yesterday when Motiram’s son, Ramchandar Motiram and his wife, Mohanie Suknanand who arrived from New York after hearing the news, broke down in tears.
He said when he returned from work around 2 am on Saturday “I see a call from Guyana on my phone and found it strange; they [relatives] don’t call me at that hour; I would call them.”
When he returned the call he got the message that his mother was missing and he “took the next flight out.”
Her daughter, Joy who had confirmed that her mother never liked to wear a lifejacket said that she worked with a Surinamese businessman, involved in the wildlife trade.
She said her mother travelled to Suriname about five days per week via the “backtrack” route and normally returned the same day. When her wildlife work “slowed up,” Motiram traded flower plants and frozen chicken from that country, Joy had said.
Ramchandar told this newspaper that he had stopped his mother from going to Suriname to trade but only allowed her to go to visit his younger brother who lives there. But she apparently loved the work.
He said his mother was looking forward to him visiting Guyana with his wife on November 17 for his birthday on the 19th. He had planned to host a cricket match in honour of his father, Deodat Motiram and a religious function for his wife.
According to him he spoke to his mother two days before her demise and recalled that the last words she said to him were, “I love you guys!”
The woman’s brother, Munilall called “Dadoboy” said that a farmer tending his cows discovered his sister’s body around 9.30 am at the Springlands shore. He said she was found between two concrete jetties.
Ramdass’s wife, Meena, 44, had told Stabroek News that her husband, who took over the business from his parents and had been doing it for over 15 years, called her just before he left Suriname.
She said that around 7 pm after the boat did not arrive she became worried and sent out her sons, Ryan and Ravi and their workers in two boats to conduct a search.
She said the boats came in for fuel three times and each time she hoped that they would come with good news but her worst fears were confirmed when the empty boat returned at around 9 am on Saturday.
She was told that her husband’s body was found on Saturday morning but later she realized it was not him. She said her relatives from No. 72 Village were scouring the shore early Saturday morning when they discovered him at No. 69 Village.
