Rescuers from the SNSM station in Saint-Martin have been asked to participate in the search for young Matéo, who went missing last Monday while he was kayaking in the bay of Cul-de-Sac. The SNSM relates.
“Monday August 31 at 19:31 pm, the CROSS AG (Regional Operational Monitoring and Rescue Center in the Antilles-Guyana) calls the SNSM Sea Rescue station of Saint-Martin to search for a young man missing at sea. , at 18:45 p.m., the parents called on the 18th and alerted the firefighters that their son had not returned from his kayak trip. A patrol of the gendarmerie goes to their home and learns that he often went out alone in his kayak in the Bay of Cul-de-Sac, watched by his father, from his terrace. But that evening the father lost sight of his son for a few minutes and no longer saw his kayak. He then went down to the anchorage and went to look for him in the Bay, where he found his empty kayak adrift.
At first, he hopes that his son is not far away and that he is somewhere in the Bay near the rocks, or even on Pinel islet and that he accidentally separated from his kayak ... so a tour through all the places where his son could be; but without success. He then alerts the emergency services. A pedestrian patrol of the gendarmerie as well as firefighters go to the area to look for him near the water. As they find no one, they warn the CROSS-AG which launches a MAYDAY RELAY to the ships in the area.
At 19:26 p.m., the CROSS hired “LEONARD”, the fire brigade boat, then, 5 minutes later, the Saint-Martin SNSM. With two teams of volunteer rescuers who immediately go to the Marina Fort Louis, the SNSM is preparing to go out with its 2 nautical resources, the semi-rigid Rescue Star and the SNS 129 star. The DRAGON 971 (Helicopter from Guadeloupe) is also engaged; then the DOLENT of the Nautical Brigade of the Gendarmerie is also called in reinforcement. The Rescue Star leaves from the Marina with 4 SNSM team members; but when setting off with the SNS 129 boat with a second team of 5 volunteers on board, the CROSS announced that there were enough nautical resources in the area for the moment. There are also citizens with their small annex, a team of friends in kayaks, etc. who are all already crisscrossing Cul-de-Sac Bay in search of the missing young man. In any case, the star SNS 129, having a greater draft, could not have entered very far in the Bay of Cul-de-Sac with all its sandbanks and shoals.
As with each search operation, the CROSS assigns a different zone to each nautical means, while the DRAGON 971 flies over the entire bay with its large searchlight. Several hours pass, without any sign of the missing young person… In the meantime, social networks are on fire; the disappearance notice is quickly shared and we still hope that the young man, who is autistic and does not necessarily react like everyone else, has hidden in a garden shed or somewhere else.
But, unfortunately, around 23:00 p.m., the lifeless body of the young kayaker was discovered in two meters deep, about ten meters from the shore by the SNSM team. He is in a swimsuit, without a life jacket… An SNSM diver gets into the water to retrieve him and the Rescue Star goes to the Cul de Sac pontoon accompanied by the DOLENT from the gendarmerie to take charge of the deceased.
The Rescue Star receives freedom of maneuver at 23:15 p.m. and the team members return to the Marina Fort Louis at 00:30 a.m., annoyed and sad not to have had the opportunity to save this young 16-year-old life ...
The SNSM station of Saint-Martin sends its most sincere condolences to the parents and the family of the young missing.
She also wishes to remind, once again, all users of the sea that wearing a life jacket is COMPULSORY for all water activities and that it is always not recommended to go alone at sea, because an accident can happen so quickly ... !
The SNSM station in Saint-Martin is also planning to offer all boating and water sports practitioners the acquisition of DIAL bracelets (Individual Alarm and Localization Devices) which can considerably facilitate the search for persons missing at sea. We are currently doing field tests and they will be available within a few weeks.
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