kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Hope is running low for a Chaguanas family which continues their search for fruit vendor Idris Marcus “Froggy” Singh who disappeared underwater at Tyrico Bay in Maracas on Sunday.
At press time yesterday, relatives said the Coast Guard did not find Singh. Singh, 23, of Endeavour Road, Chaguanas sold fruits at his brother’s Emerson Fresh Fruits stall along Mausica Road, Mausica.
Emerson Singh told Guardian Media that Singh went to Tyrico Bay with their brother Antonio Singh and brother-in-law Sanjay Cunjisingh on Sunday.
Emerson said that around 4.30 pm, the men finished bathing and were returning to the shore. Singh was walking behind, and when Cunjisingh looked back for him, he was nowhere to be seen.
“They decided to go back into the water to search for him, but they did not see him. They alerted other people who were there, but nobody could find him. There were no lifeguards on duty, but there was one who was off-duty, and he still went into the water to search,” Emerson said.
He said they contacted Maracas police and the coast guard. He said the coast guard informed them that they could not begin a search until 6 am yesterday.
“At 6 am, we reached the beach, but the coast guard was not present. At 10.20 am, they arrived with three divers. They scanned the area for 40 minutes and left, saying they had to get safety boots to search by the rocks. If they knew they were coming to look for somebody, why did they not come with boots?”
Emerson said Singh was not sick or experiencing any difficulties before he went missing. Even as the family hired a boat to aid in the search, he said there was little hope that they would find his younger brother alive as Singh could not swim.
He said Singh’s disappearance has left their mother devastated, especially as they shared a special bond.
