The family of Shaffeik Khan remains hopeful about his rescue or the recovery of his body, more than a week after he went missing while on a mission to help stranded co-workers.
The bodies of the three others who were with Khan, 36, have already been recovered.
“We are still searching. So far, there has been nothing new but we believe that he will be found soon,” said the man’s daughter, Mumtaz Khan, yesterday.
She informed that daily searches are being undertaken by various teams while she and her mother try not to be broken emotionally by the situation.
The family anticipates that either the man or his corpse will be found so that their family can have some closure.
Last Friday, the body of Damodar Kemraj washed ashore at Perseverance Beach, Essequibo, after the bodies of two others, Kumar Narine and Richard Smith, were found along the Essequibo River at Hampton Beach and Devonshire Castle, respectively.
Earlier this month, pirates attacked fishing boats and later gathered the crews into the hold of one of the vessels, nailed it and left it to drift in the Essequibo River.
They managed to free themselves and called for help, leading to the rescue mission by Khan and four others, who left the Meadowbank wharf on Saturday, February 6th. A storm and fierce waves caused their vessel to capsize in the deep Essequibo River. One of the men, Ganeswar Reddy, was found and recounted a terrifying tale of being left to endure fuel burns to his body and the raging salted river.
He managed to survive by clinging to a five-gallon water bottle for more than two days until he was spotted by residents near to the Jibb foreshore.
