Pirates attack 8 Guyanese fishermen in Waini River

Fishermen plying their trade close to the Guyana/Venezuela border were pounced upon by a group of armed Spanish-speaking men, in an area referred to as Crabdog, Waini River, Region One (Barima-Waini).
The gunmen demanded that the crew hand over their boat and valuables, forcing the men to plunge into the murky waters of the Waini River to save themselves from certain death.
Information reaching Guyana Times indicated that the incident occurred at about 15:00h on Thursday. The boat was captained by 40-year old Julian Marks, of Dartmouth Village, Essequibo Coast, and had seven crewmen.
Police investigations revealed that as the men were about to cast their nets, they were attacked by Spanish-speaking men, who arrived in a wooden balahoo powered by a 75hp outboard engine.
The crew, who were said to be armed with shotguns, rifles and pistols, ordered the captain and his crew to get off the vessel.
The pirates then took possession of their wooden boat measuring 45x8x4 /2 feet, which was powered by a 40hp Yamaha engine. As the men struggled to keep afloat in the river, the pirates, untied a smaller boat which was attached to their vessel and pushed it towards them before escaping. The crew members sailed helplessly in the small boat until they were rescued by another vessel. They were taken to the Police station where they told detectives that along with foodstuff, the pirates were able to cart off a number of valuables, as they headed in the direction of Venezuela.
Investigations into the attack are ongoing.
Back in April of this year, 16 fishermen were missing and feared dead after pirates raided their boats off the coast of Suriname and forced them to jump overboard.
The fishermen were part of a group of 20 in four boats, which were attacked off the Atlantic Coast of Suriname.
It was reported that four men managed to swim to shore and three of them remain hospitalised. They told Police and the Coast Guard that the assailants, suspected of coming from neighbouring Guyana because of their accents, beat them with machetes and forced them to jump into the sea. They said some of the victims had batteries tied to their legs to weigh them down. Five of the men survived, while four bodies were later recovered. Eleven others are still missing.
Several persons have since been charged in connection with the incident.