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PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – The search continued on Wednesday for a 54-year-old Guyanese fisherman, who reportedly fell overboard during a fishing trip to Suriname on December 19, but was widely presumed to be dead.
Relatives said that some of the personal belongings of Permaul Punsammy have since been found, and according to his brother, Veerasammy Punsammy, 56, who was also on the trip with him, it was raining at the time of the incident.
He said Permaul was caught in the seine, a fishing net which hangs vertically in the water with floats at the top and weights at the bottom edge, that was being thrown into the Coppename River in Suriname, when he fell overboard.
Veerasammy said that along with two other crew members, they began searching and calling out, during which Permaul responded three times. He said that after pulling the seine, Permaul’s cloak was found hooked onto it.
Veerasammy believes his brother attempted to remove the cloak in hopes of catching the seine again, but he did not. While continuing the search, they found Permaul’s headlight a short distance away.
The search persisted until the following morning. The next day, he said they visited several landing sites in Suriname and sought the assistance of other boat operators to help locate Permaul.
The incident was reported to authorities in Suriname, and a formal report was filed at the Number 51 Police Station.
But Veerammy believes that his brother is no longer alive.
“That’s extra hard for him to live. Unless he hold onto something or meet up with Town boat. Otherwise, he don’t have any alternatives,” he added.
