FOUR days after he was swept off a rock while fishing in Back Bay, the body of missing Plymouth man Lorenzo London was found on Sunday morning almost 200 metres offshore. The search team of Frontier Divers, Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and lifeguards retrieved the body and brought it to Grafton Beach, Black Rock.
As news spread, scores of onlookers and family members gathered sombrely at the beach.
Mother of the 26-year-old deceased, Cheryl London, told Newsday she was just grateful to get her son's body back.
"I feel good," she said, choking back the tears.
"I thank the coast guard, I thank CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), I thank TEMA, I thank the fire officers, because it could have been worse. I didn't bound to get him back. Most of all, I thank God because He is the one who has the power on heaven and earth, even in the sea. I thank God for finding back my son."
Cheryl said the support she has received over the past few days has been overwhelming.
"It was very good. Everyone came out (to help). Every single day since Lorenzo disappear, phone calls all from America giving me that support. I didn't know the world have so much kind people."
Cheryl said when she heard the body was found she rushed to the beach but was met by an unpleasant policeman.
"Only thing, this morning I was disappointed in the police. Shoving me back when I went to see my son – like he wanted to lock me up. They need to teach them how to handle situations like these in a different manner.
[caption id="attachment_940694" align="alignnone" width="410"] Lorenzo London -[/caption]
"He was the only one who wasn't very nice. I not putting water in my mouth. He don't know the hurt. Is four days I ain't eat, I ain't sleep. He hurt me."
London, the nephew of former THA chief secretary Orville London, recently earned a bachelor’s degree with honours in Economics and Finance from the University of the West Indies, and was said to be job hunting.
Newsday understands he was fishing with his brother John in Black Rock around 1pm on Thursday when a huge wave swept him to sea.
A relative told Newsday someone saw the body near the rocks later in the day, but by the time an alarm was raised, the body went underwater again.
TEMA official Brian Thomas told Newsday the search was made challenging owing to the rough sea conditions.
"Yes, I'm surprised it took so long. We didn't find it too far from where he was missing. The sea conditions and the waves and tide caused the difficulty in the search patterns."
Thomas advised the public to be cautious when visiting the beaches.
"It is always advised to be cautious, whether the sea is rough or not. This week, the tide was high and there was a lot of wind and a lot of currents." Thomas said people must be more vigilant as the beach restrictions have been lifted.
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