By RHONDOR DOWLAT Tuesday, September 29 2009

MEMBERS of the TT Coast Guard, TT Air Guard and Venezuela’s Guardia Nacionale are all searching for two fishermen who went missing off the north coast, nine days ago, and are feared kidnapped or dead. Their brand new pirogue (TPF 1074) is also to be found.

The missing men were identified as Cory Mc Donald, 30, of Edinburgh 500, Chaguanas and another man identified only as “Raphael” of Carenage.

According to a police report, both men were last seen on September 20 when they left their respective homes to go fishing in a pirogue owned by Bisham Singh of Bamboo Village, Valsayn.

Mc Donald’s worried father Victor said he is fearing that his son was kidnapped by pirates and may be dead.

“We have not heard from him since.

The last time anyone heard from Cory was when he called a friend via cellular phone and said he was heading back to shore and to meet him at the Port-of-Spain fish market. Cory’s friend waited for hours but Cory and Raphael never showed up,” Victor said.

Singh spoke to Newsday yesterday and claimed that he has also joined in the search along with the protective services in the hope of finding Mc Donald, Raphael and his (Singh) boat which is valued at $75,000.

Public Relations Officer of the TT Coast Guard, Kirk Jean Baptiste yesterday said that their searches have been unsuccessful but assured that the coast guard were continuing their search.