Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
Heartbroken relatives of 17-year-old schoolboy Gabriel Nelson found closure yesterday after his body was recovered, two days after he drowned at Grand Lagoon, Mayaro.
Shortly after 2 pm, a search party aboard a boat spotted Nelson’s body in the water and brought it ashore, where his mother and other relatives were waiting. Nelson was a Form Five student of St Stephen’s College.
His mother, Lakshmi Barrat, along with other relatives, had spent sleepless nights at the beach since Sunday after Nelson disappeared beneath the choppy waters.
Relatives said that around 4 pm on Sunday, Nelson, his 13-year-old brother and their 20-year-old cousin, Nicholas Sinanan, got into difficulties while swimming. The two other boys managed to make it safely to shore, but Nelson was pulled under the water.
Nelson, of George Village, Tableland, had left home around midday with his mother, stepfather, sibling and cousin and travelled to the beach, arriving around 2 pm. The boys were bathing approximately 50 feet from shore when they ran into trouble.
More than an hour later, while his mother was seated on the shore, Nelson’s younger brother told her they had been bathing in chest-high water when they got into difficulties and Nelson disappeared underwater.
In a Facebook post, St Stephen’s College described Nelson as a commendable student who showed great promise, particularly in Mathematics and Information Technology, approaching his studies with focus and quiet determination.
Beyond the classroom, the school said Nelson had a deep love for basketball, a sport that brought him great joy and allowed his energy, commitment and team spirit to shine. On February 4, he represented the school in a basketball match against Fyzabad Secondary, contributing to a 35–17 victory.
“It is a moment his teammates, coaches and school community will forever hold close to our hearts,” the post stated. “His passing is a tremendous loss to our school community. We extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family, especially his mother, as well as to his friends, teachers, classmates and all who knew and loved him.”
Assisting in the search efforts were law enforcement agencies, Hunters’ Search and Rescue Team, fisherfolk, relatives and villagers.
