What was supposed to be a Saturday of fun for a Barrackpore family turned into a nightmare when teenage brothers Raphael and Ricardo Rambaran drowned at the scenic Balandra Beach on Saturday.
Up to late yesterday, T&T Coast Guard divers were still searching for the body of Raphael, 16, a student of the Barrackpore West Secondary School. Police said the body of Ricardo, 15, who attended the St Stephen’s College, Princes Town, resurfaced minutes after he drowned.
The boys’ cousin, Amanda Rambaran, told the T&T Guardian yesterday that the boys left their Cunjal Road home with their mother and father Jacqueline and Premchan Rambaran on Saturday morning for the outing. She said the family went to Balandra to join relatives from Arima and Gasparillo who were spending the weekend at a guest house in the area.
Police said the brothers and a relative, Quin Garcia, were bathing around 4 pm when the water became rough and they began struggling to stay afloat. Garcia was able to get to a rock where he held on until he was rescued. However the brothers, who could not swim, were pulled under. Garcia was taken to the Arima Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
At the boys' home yesterday, Rambaran said their mother and father had gone back to the beach to continue the search for Raphael’s body. She described Raphael as an ambitious person with the ability to expand his skills. She said he was learning about electrical technology and recently went on a trip to a company where they had promised him a job when he completed school. She said Ricardo was the same, as both of them were very close.
Friends and relatives poured into the home yesterday, everyone trying to hold back their tears. The search for Raphael is expected to resume this morning.