A 43-year-old Barrackpore man returning home from work died when his van plunged into a deep drain in Gasparillo on Saturday night.
The discovery was made by a villager who saw the van submerged in the water and contacted the police. However, the body of Sharaz Baksh was only found yesterday morning several hours later.
At around 9.35 pm, the man was walking along Factory Road, Reform Village, near LP#16 when he saw the black Toyota Hilux submerged in the water. The Gasparillo Police Station and Mon Repos Fire Station were contacted. Police officers and firefighters tried pumping out the water in an attempt to find Baksh’s body but were unsuccessful. A wrecker removed the van from the drain and transported it to the police station.
Eventually, at around 5.50 am Baksh’s body was found by fire officers. He was wearing his work coverall and steel boots.
The district medical officer viewed the body and ordered it’s removal to the mortuary of the San Fernando General Hospital.
In an interview at their Cumuto Road home, Gainda Persad, 65, said the family got the tragic news at around 1 am and they went to the scene.
“Around 2 o’ clock to half-past two the note pad that he have and one of his pen float up in the water and then they realise that he down there, so then they get the pump and bail out the water and the body was underneath,” she said.
She said there were no marks of violence on his body and all Baksh’s belongings were intact. She believes he fell asleep at the wheel.
Persad said Baksh, who was employed with an engineering company in Reform Village, had worked late that day.
Baksh, who was separated from his wife, was the father of three children, ages seven, 13 and 15.
“He would not stand up and quarrel with nobody. He used to be downstairs and you would not know he around. Always a quiet person from a baby,” Persad said.
She said she could not shake off feelings of unhappiness and sadness over the past few days.
“Maybe that was a sign,” she said.
Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy today to determine whether foul play was involved.
Visiting the scene were ASP Theodore, Insp James, PC Persad, PC Harrikissoon, as well as Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Dookie and Fire Sub Officers Lewis and Samrath.