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A six-month pregnant woman and a 60-year-old man were airlifted and flown to the Sangre Grande District hospital for emergency treatment yesterday after they and 14 others were stranded for two days at Madamas Bay, which is located between Blanchisseuse and Matelot.
Julie La Rode, 27 and Neil Allain, of Maturita, were treated and La Rode was kept for observation at the hospital.Allain was reported to have fainted as he entered the hospital.
The group of 16 went to Madamas to camp over the weekend, Allain’s son Gareth, who was among those stranded, told the T&T Guardian by phone from the site.
The majority of the group arrived at Madamas Bay on Thursday while the remainder arrived Friday.
Madamas Bay is easily accessed via boat and that is the method the two groups used to reach there.
The boat was supposed to return for them on Sunday. However, because of rough waters on Sunday, the boat did not return.
When the boat did arrive for them around lunch-time on Monday at Madamas Bay tragedy struck.
“When the boatman was coming into the bay and trying to manoeuvre the boat a wave flipped it over,” Gareth said.
“Everybody had to run out to try to help him, to bail out the water and to try and salvage the boat and get it to shore,” he said.
When the boat was finally secured, its captain had to flush out the engine.
Around 5.30 pm several attempts were made to leave the bay but the waves were too high.
The group realised they would have to spend a second unplanned night in the area.
“By Sunday night we were without food so we went into the forest to find what we could eat, we caught some fish and we dug up some yams in the forest. We also ate coconut and drank coconut water,” Gareth said.
Gareth said some members of the group also went into the forest and got spring water for them to drink.
“We were all exhausted and people were losing hope and we had little quarrels in between but it was fine everyone eventually pulled together and we managed to stabilise our minds and decide that we all have to come out together safe,” he said.
There were problems to receive cellphone signals so the group had to come together to ensure they were able to make a call for help.
“We roamed the beach to and from and when we did find a place where we got reception we had a shift of people who stayed on that spot to tried and called, so somebody was always there hoping to get service,” Gareth said.
Eventually, the group were able to call E999 and explain their plight.
When the emergency services arrived La Rode and Allain were airlifted out.
In all, 14 members of the group were rescued. The captain and two members of the group stayed back last night to repair the vessel.
Sgt Ronny Ramphallard of Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) Air Support Unit, utilising a National Security helicopter with SSA Air Division crew, Captain Varune Ghisyawan and Flight Officer Kurt Stafford responded.
Allain said the group were grateful to the emergency services for their response.
Claudette Quintero, the senior Allain’s wife, said she was relieved her husband was back home last night.
JOEL JULIEN AND
RALPH BANWARIE