Caption: Kurt Kissoondath

TWO men reported missing after heading into the Claxton Bay mangrove swamp to harvest oysters on Saturday were found safe on Sunday morning, drifting offshore near La Brea.

Relatives said 45-year-old Kurt Kissondath, an employee of Technical Integrated Services (TIS), left his Dow Village, California home around 7.30 am and later met Nicholas Sooknanan. The pair set out in a flat-bottomed boat to gather oysters.

Concern grew when relatives could not reach Kissondath. They alerted authorities, who later found his mobile phone and identification inside his car, parked under a shed in Claxton Bay. Family members also contacted the Coast Guard, police and Hunters Search and Rescue for assistance.

Kissondath’s father, 72-year-old Kissondath Sookdeo, said the family feared foul play, noting the swamp can be dangerous and is believed to be used by people involved in contraband activity.

Relatives said the men were eventually spotted around 10 am on Sunday by occupants of a pilot boat, drifting offshore near La Brea. A crew member contacted the family, and arrangements were made to pick them up.

Family members said the boat had run out of gas and the men were dehydrated after being adrift. Kissondath was taken home to eat and rest.