Three fishermen who were reported missing on Saturday after their vessel was destroyed by a storm in Suriname are alive.
The men, 22-year-old Andrew Beaton; Rondell Vanderstoop, 27; and his brother, Norris Dundas, 18, of Epsom Village, Corentyne were found on a sand bank—some 35 hours after their fishing vessel was destroyed by a storm.
Their colleagues, Steve McBean and Rodwell Captain, were rescued on the same night of the accident by a passing boat and taken to shore where they alerted authorities.
According to information received, the men were preparing to secure their working tools sometime around 23:00 hrs on Saturday when their vessel was struck by a storm. They claimed that it had been raining heavily for the entire day.
After the boat was destroyed, the fishermen were thrown overboard. Steve McBean and Rodwell Captain held onto a piece of board that broke off from the vessel while their remaining colleagues swam to shore and were eventually rescued on Monday morning.
The Guyana Standard was told that the men left Guyana last Friday and made their way into Suriname waters to ply their trade when tragedy struck late Saturday.
In a telephone call, Leroy Vanderstoop, a brother of Dundas and Rondell, said that he was at home when someone called their home phone to inform them that there had been an accident on sea and his siblings were missing.
At first, Vanderstoop said that he thought that it was a piracy attack but he later received a call saying that it was a storm that struck the vessel. The young man said that when he informed his family members, everyone went into a panic but they continued to pray for the best.
On Monday morning, he said that they received another call saying that his brothers along with Beaton had been rescued.
All five fishermen have been reunited and are preparing to return home.
