THREE persons are missing in the “Omai Mountain area,” Region 7 since Valentine’s Day. The trio, Anthony Van Sertima (47), Gavin Van Sertima (20), and Kwastan Lewis (23) all relatives, left their mining camp to look for a mining block belonging to Onica Williams in that area.According to Anthony Van Sertima’s wife, Joylyn Moore, her husband and son, Gavin Van Sertima and her nephew Kwastan Lewis left in search of the mining block which they reportedly located.
“They leave to locate a block, they find the block but got lost while getting off the block,” Moore told Guyana Chronicle. She said she spoke with the trio on Tuesday and they told her they were out of food and water and the battery to their mobile devices were drained. The emotional woman explained that the men have lost their way back to their camps and she is worried.
Guyana Chronicle understands that the area where the men were last known to be is densely forested and as such it may be a bit challenging to locate them. Moore explained that all of the relevant authorities have been notified including the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“I notified the police, the army and I spoke with Minister Simona Broomes and Raphael Trotman,” she stated. When asked the length of time it takes to get to the “Omai Mountain area” from the men’s previous location, Moore said on average it can take approximately “three days by foot from the crossing.” She explained that she was there once and is basing her assessment on her experience.
“They should have been out of the location by now…the last time I spoke with them was Tuesday morning; they don’t have food, water,” she said the worried woman who noted that the men could not state where they were. Moore said she is desperately in need of help to locate her relatives and noted that Ministers Trotman and Broomes have promised to send a team in to locate the trio. The older Van Sertima has been a miner for more than 27 years.