Seventeen relatives of Randolph Webber, called “Smokey,” of Aruka Mouth were aboard the ill-fated MV Barima. Seven survived the tragedy, nine bodies have since been recovered and a two-year-old child remains missing.
Among those on the vessel were one of Webber’s brothers-in-law, his sister-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law and four grandchildren. His father-in-law and brother-in-law survived, while the bodies of the others have all been recovered.
Also aboard the vessel were Webber’s sister, Helena Moonsammy-Ramith, and her eight grandchildren. Five of the children survived, while the bodies of three have been recovered. The body of the two-year-old remains missing.
Webber said he first learnt that the MV Barima had sunk at about 1 am on Sunday.
As reports of the disaster continued to emerge throughout the day, he mobilised other relatives and, at about midnight on Sunday, the family travelled via the Barima, Waini, Moruca and Pomeroon rivers to assist with the search for and identification of their loved ones.
“Me, me wife, me three brothers-in-law, my father and one of my nieces, we travelled here to Essequibo Coast,” Webber told Kiskadee Watch.
He explained that his sister, who lives in Parika, had been travelling to Mabaruma with her grandchildren.
“By school close she was taking her grandchildren to my mother for the holidays,” he said.
When Kiskadee Watch spoke with Webber, Moonsammy-Ramith was at Charity awaiting word on whether the body of the missing two-year-old had been recovered.
Webber and other members of the family have since positively identified the bodies of their deceased relatives.
The bodies are being transported to Mabaruma in boats chartered by the government, where they will be buried.
Discussion