15-year-old boy drowns in Mayaro

A morning swim with two friends turned fatal for a 15-year-old boy who is believed to have drowned in turbulent waters off Mayaro beach, on Friday. Up to late yesterday the body of the youth, identified as Ryan Bholai, of Bristol Village, Mayaro, had not yet been found.

This is the second drowning to have occurred in Mayaro within two days. On Wednesday, Brian ‘Gorilla’ Williams, a homeless man, drowned while trying to escape police at Ocean Sands Beach. His body washed ashore on Thursday night. In the latest drowning, Bholai’s friends told police around 11 am they were bathing a short distance away from the shore, near Stone Bright Village, when Bholai dived into the water. When he did not resurface, his friends began diving into the water looking for him but were unsuccessful. The teenagers panicked and ran to the village where they informed the villagers. Several fishermen’s frantic attempts to find the youth also proved futile. The Mayaro police and Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard were informed about the drowning. Mayaro police are continuing investigations.