The bicycles his younger brothers left behind are among the reminders that bring 18-year-old Anthony Thomas to tears, three months after Kyle and Brian Thomas died in the MV Barima disaster.
Anthony used to iron their school clothes, help with their homework and repair their bicycles. Now, he sometimes cries alone in his room, grieving the brothers with whom he shared so much of his daily life.
While Kyle’s body was recovered and buried, 13-year-old Brian remains missing.
“Every day that goes by is hard being without them. I miss my brothers every day. The things we used to do together; play games, help them with their homework,” Anthony told Kiskadee Watch in a recent interview.
The Thomas family has been protesting every Tuesday, urging the government to raise the vessel in the hope that Brian’s remains can be recovered and laid to rest.
“Every Tuesday, being out here is like asking the government to please raise the boat. We don’t want anything else from them; just please raise the boat. That’s all my parents are asking for,” Anthony said.
Memories of their time together help him cope, even as familiar possessions deepen his sense of loss.
“The memories help me to cope. Some days I sit alone and cry, but I don’t tell anyone. Looking at the things they leave behind; their bicycles and stuff like that, that we used to fix together. It hurts me looking at those things,” he said.
“I was close with Kyle and Brian. We shared a lot; going to school, coming home from school. We shared a lot together,” he added, becoming tearful as he spoke.
His sister, Tianie Thomas, had earlier told Kiskadee Watch that news of plans to raise the vessel had given the family hope.
“I am thankful at least God answered our prayers; every night you are up praying and crying,” she said.
But after burying Kyle, the family was still waiting for the opportunity to say goodbye to Brian.
“I need the boat to raise. Even if is my brother’s bones, I need to get it,” Tianie said.
Another sister, Gailann Thomas, said in an earlier interview that assistance received by her parents had consisted of two food hampers. The family’s priority, she stressed, was recovering Brian’s remains.
“We are demanding that the government salvages the vessel immediately. We need answers; our brother’s remains,” she said.
Speaking at the time, she added: “It has been two months and no answers as yet. Time is going and my brother remains there.”
For Gailann, the loss also meant the destruction of a future her younger brother should have had.
“A day like today my brother is supposed to be in school. Not under water. My brother had a brighter future ahead of him and he didn’t deserve that type of cruelty,” she said.
The MV Barima sank on July 18, leaving at least 73 people dead and others missing.
Today marks three months since the disaster. The vessel has yet to be salvaged, leaving families such as the Thomases still hoping to recover their loved ones’ remains.
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