MV Barima tragedy -"All you could hear were whistles" – hero fisherman recounts race to save survivors

What this source establishes

A Guyana Times interview with fisherman Haresh Singh, the fullest civilian-rescuer account in this corpus. Singh says he was called around midnight by Regional Chairman Devin Mohan and Minister Mandalall Ramraj, was on the water within minutes, and that he inferred the wreck's location from floating fuel and belongings and relayed it to the Coast Guard. He says he advised the Coast Guard to launch distress flares while his smaller boats went ahead. His group rescued 11 people, and his effort was cut short when two children and an adult aboard his boat lost consciousness.

Figures cited in this source

11 survivors rescued by Singh's fishing boat, including two young children, two girls and one woman

Key claims

• Fisherman Haresh Singh was one of the first civilians to respond and subsequently found the location of the missing vessel.
• Singh said he received an urgent call at around midnight on Saturday from Regional Chairman Devin Mohan and Minister within the Public Works Ministry Mandalall Ramraj.
• Singh said he was at the waterside within three to four minutes of leaving his bed.
• After contacting a GDF Coast Guard vessel the fishermen were directed towards the Hackney area; Singh advised the Coast Guard to launch distress flares.
• Singh's group rescued 11 survivors including two young children, two girls, one woman and several men.
• Singh said: 'All you could hear were whistles. They were desperate to survive.'
• Singh noticed fuel, personal belongings and other debris floating on the water, leading him to believe the vessel had sunk nearby, and relayed the information to the Coast Guard.
• Singh said he had himself survived a boating accident years earlier, floating in the water for seven hours.
• The rescue effort was cut short after two children and one adult aboard Singh's boat lost consciousness and had to be rushed ashore.

Quotations

• “All you could hear were whistles. They were desperate to survive.”— Haresh Singh, fisherman and first civilian responder
• “The situation was very traumatising. The hardest part was seeing the children.”— Haresh Singh, fisherman
• “He told me he held onto his children, but his wife was gone. That brought tears to my eyes.”— Haresh Singh, fisherman, recounting a survivor
• “I once floated in the water for seven hours after my own boat sank. I know that trauma.”— Haresh Singh, fisherman
• “My job now is to find this boat and bring it ashore so families can get answers.”— Haresh Singh, fisherman

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