Six days after a most harrowing experience on the high seas, which claimed the life of 39 year-old marine Captain Vasdeo Persaud last Thursday, 49-year-old crew member Mohan Singh, also called “Peppy”, remains in a serious condition in the  Bolivia Hospital in Puerto Das, Venezuela. The other two survivors from among the four-member crew – Ricky Ranju, also called “Keel Man” of Hague, West Coast Demerara, and an 18-year-old Amerindian from Moruca, North West Districtare reportedly still in Venezuela, where they are making attempts to recover the body of Captain Persaud, whom they claim, they saw go down into the Atlantic.
Owner of the vessel, Deodat Bissoon late yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle that the last word he received from Venezuela was that the men were unable to continue their search over the last two days, as the waters were dangerously choppy.
Meanwhile, at the home of Mohan Singh of Vergenoegen yesterday afternoon, family members tried hard to keep composed.  Singh’s wife Faziela Khan and his mother Nazimoon Omar had just received word from a relative in Trinidad who hade been in contact with him by cellular phone during the afternoon.
Relating what was described to them during the telephone conversation, Omar, who wept as she spoke, said the agony her son was experiencing, was almost unbearable.
“He say he deh in real pain.  From he hip go down cook, both sides burn really bad, and he ah tremble and can’t even eat.  Pain too much,” the elderly woman related.   She said he remains confined to bed and hospital authorities advised that it will take several weeks before he could be discharged.
And Mohan Singh’s wife, Fazilia, said that they learnt that after the three survivors spotted and managed to reach a life buoy out at sea; they held on to it for about three hours and were rescued by a passing Venezuelan vessel, which took them to the nearest medical facility – “The Punta Barima”- a medical clinic built out in the ocean.
He was given initial emergency treatment before being transferred to the Bolivia Hospital.  His colleague crew members asked whether it was okay for him to be sent home to Guyana, but they were advised he would not be able to make it home now.  The injured man was escorted to the Bolivia hospital by Venezuelan police.

Relatives of Captain Vasdeo Persaud and the injured Mohan Singh are deeply perturbed and claim they desperately want to travel to Venezuela to find out more about their husbands.

Mohan Singh is a father of three daughters, aged 18 to 21 while Vasdeo Persaud has two sons – Davin, 15 and Michael, 11.
This newspaper has been unable to reach the relatives of the 18-year-old seaman who was also injured and remains in Venezuela. They are said to be residing in Region One.
The men were badly burnt when pirates attacked them on Thursday and set their boat alight, causing them to jump into the ocean just off the Venezuelan coast.