Anna-Lisa Paul
Senior Reporter
The community of Carenage exhaled in relief yesterday as the body of the sixth drowning victim was found in the waters off Chaguaramas.
The T&T Coast Guard (TTCG) confirmed the body of Lorenzo Oliver, 35, of Fourth Street, Sparrow Drive, Point Cumana, was recovered around 6.30 am, in the vicinity of Power Boats.
The recovery followed a candle-light vigil on Friday evening by members of the community, who prayed fervently for the body to resurface so his family could gain closure.
According to one woman who reinforced that prayer can move mountains, “We prayed and asked the sea to give him back and look what happened.”
“Now the families can get some comfort.”
This brings an end to the search efforts for six people who perished after the boat they were in on November 8, overturned after it was involved in a collision with another craft off the coast of Chaguaramas.
The six victims were Kieyanna Seechan, 17; Amir Ali, 18; Jaheim Richards, 23; Titus Augustine, 25; Lorenzo Oliver, 35; and Anil Ahyee, 38.
The boating incident, which occurred around 6.30 pm last Sunday, involved the 28-foot pleasure craft Bambaleo, captained by a 44-year-old man of Federation Park and a 29-foot vessel Belbagai, which had been captained by a 35-year-old Point Cumana resident.
Carenage resident Maria Alexis turned up to participate in a planned protest in Point Cumana—which was abruptly cancelled following the recovery of Oliver’s body.
Demanding justice for the six victims, she said feelings of sadness, anger and despair had enveloped the community during the past week as details of the incident continued to emerge.
The 67-year-old woman said the victims were loved by all and were respectful and kind people who did not deserve the fate that had befallen them.
Sitting on a chair outside a popular bar, she lamented, “My heart hurts me.”
Having seen the group that fateful day on their way to catch the boat to head down the islands, she recalled, “I looked at them across the road there. I spoke to one and told him I wanted to get a bottle of honey from his father and he told me all right.”
Informed by her son the next morning about the tragedy, she continued, “As a parent, it bothering me a lot.”
Alexis also joined in giving thanks that the authorities had found all the victims so that their families could bury them.
“We in the community are at a loss for words,” she stated.
Asked about the individual responsibility of the victims to ensure their own safety, she explained, “Their parents have boats, the adults, so usually on a Sunday, they would go down there with friends and hang out.”
She stressed it was a normal practice, “It is not something to say that they are delinquent children; they are not. They weren’t wrong.”
Calling on the owner of the other vessel involved to step up and take responsibility, she said, “It is a big, big loss.”
“Carenage is a family and we are hurting as one. We just want justice for those children.”
