Extensive searches were yesterday carried out in the Ortoire River in Mayaro, for a three-year-old boy from the village who is feared drowned after he wandered out of the Ortoire Fishing Port Facility.
Up to last night, however, there was no sight of little Allon Ramdial.
Police said Allon lives with his mother Christianna, 19, in a room at the Ortoire Fishing Port Facility and is often seen playing on the jetty there.
Initial police information was that around 6.30 am, his mother got up and did not see her son. She searched for him with assistance from villagers and then the police were contacted.
A team of officers from the Mayaro Police Station, under the supervision of Insp Ramkissoon and Sgt Mohammed, responded and contacted other agencies.
The facility is fenced with two gates, one at the front which leads to the Ortoire Main Road, and the other to the jetty which leads to the Ortoire River.
Allon was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt and blue long pants.
Guardian Media was told he and his mother have been living at the facility for the past two years and he often frequented the jetty, where he was well known by fishermen.
In fact, Progressive Democratic Patriots leader Watson Duke visited the area on Thursday and during a Facebook Live, Allon appeared on camera.
The Coast Guard, police, Fire Service, fishermen, residents and the Vallance Rambharat-led Search and Rescue Team conducted land, aerial and river searches for the child. They later found Allon’s back pack in the river but nothing else.
In an interview just after 6.15 pm, Rambharat said the police used drones to do aerial searches while the Coast Guard divers combed the river and his team and fishermen did boat patrols. He said residents also assisted in searching the land area, which is about two acres.
He said they suspected Allon fell into the river but there was no evidence up to then to confirm what actually transpired. At the time, Rambharat said the agencies were about to suspend the searches until today but said his team would continue to monitor the river at 90-minute intervals.
