Just before she entered the calm waters at the Mayaro beach, Nekeisha Williams, a devout Spiritual Baptist, offered a special prayer to the sea asking for protection for her family. But her prayers did not save her or her boyfriend, Harry Rivers, as strong rip currents swept them into the Atlantic Ocean. They drowned. Williams, 30, and Rivers, 55, spent more than half-an-hour floating in the tide before lifeguards arrived to attempt to rescue them. By the time they were pulled to shore, both were dead. During an interview at the family's Jeffers Crossing, Tabaquite home, Rivers' niece, Marsha Rogers, blamed the lifeguards for not responding quickly.
She said Williams and Rivers were good swimmers but when the rip tide struck, they were dragged helplessly from the shore. Rivers, who worked at Carlos Bar in Princes Town, had not planned to go to the beach. He had made plans to buy balusters for his house but after hearing that Rogers and her family were heading to the beach, he chose to go with them, Rogers said. "We stopped off at Mayaro and paid for the balusters and after that we went to Plaisance beach. We bought some Chinese food and a 12-piece KFC. After that we ate. My uncle said he was not going to bathe," Rogers recalled. She explained that Williams went into the sea in waist-high water and began praying. "Afterwards, she came and told us that she had said a special prayer and that all of us will be safe. She then begged Rivers to bathe with her," she said.
Rogers said her uncle and Williams were hugging and kissing in the water when a big wave knocked them down. "I heard them screaming. Nekeisha was calling for Harry to help her. The rip tide was carrying them further and further away," Rogers recalled. Her husband, Lester Flores, jumped in after them but had to retreat because of the strong undercurrents. Rogers said she sent her two children Fernando, 12, and Rico, 11, to find the lifeguards. "The two lifeguard booths were empty. We searched for them for half-an-hour and then we saw them strolling up the beach," Rogers added.She explained the lifeguards pulled the couple out of the water and performed CPR on them. Williams had a faint pulse.
When she asked the lifeguards why the booths were empty, Rogers said the guards said they were short-staffed. She has called on the Government to investigate the matter. PC Sooknanan, of the Mayaro Police Station, is continuing investigations.
