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Photos: They fled Venezuela to safety by boat – only to then vanish

Years of economic mismanagement in Venezuela have crippled the oil-rich nation with hyperinflation, shortages and misery. Its vast majority have traveled overland to neighboring Colombia and Brazil. But in images reminiscent of Cubans fleeing their homeland in decades past, Venezuelans increasingly are taking to the sea in rickety boats. Among them was Maroly Bastardo who on May 16, packed into an aging fishing vessel along with 31 other people. The craft, the Ana Maria, never arrived. No migrants or wreckage have been found. Reuters reconstructed Bastardo's ill-fated journey in interviews with her family members, friends and the relatives of others missing from the Ana Maria, along with authorities and people involved in the human smuggling trade.

Updated on: Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM IST

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1/18

A taxi dropped Maroly Bastardo and her two small children by a cemetery not far from the shore in northeast Venezuela. Eight months pregnant, she faced forbidding choices in a nation whose economy has collapsed. Give birth in Venezuela, or board a crowded smuggler’s boat bound for Trinidad. Her husband, Kennier Berra, had landed there in February, found work and beckoned her to join him. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A taxi dropped Maroly Bastardo and her two small children by a cemetery not far from the shore in northeast Venezuela. Eight months pregnant, she faced forbidding choices in a nation whose economy has collapsed. Give birth in Venezuela, or board a crowded smuggler’s boat bound for Trinidad. Her husband, Kennier Berra, had landed there in February, found work and beckoned her to join him. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

2/18

Carolina Gil shows a picture of her daughter Maroly Bastardo. Carolina, begged her to stay. Neither Bastardo nor her children could swim. Barely three weeks earlier, 27 people had gone missing after a migrant boat went down in the narrow stretch of water separating Venezuela from Trinidad. The 20-kilometer strait, known for its treacherous currents, is nicknamed the Dragon’s Mouths. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Carolina Gil shows a picture of her daughter Maroly Bastardo. Carolina, begged her to stay. Neither Bastardo nor her children could swim. Barely three weeks earlier, 27 people had gone missing after a migrant boat went down in the narrow stretch of water separating Venezuela from Trinidad. The 20-kilometer strait, known for its treacherous currents, is nicknamed the Dragon’s Mouths. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

3/18

A local resident points at the Dragon's Mouths. The 19-year old hairdresser was determined. On May 16, she and the kids packed into an aging fishing vessel. They snapped photos from the shore near the town of Guiria, where thousands have departed in recent years, and messaged loved ones goodbye. The craft, the Ana Maria, never arrived. No migrants or wreckage have been found. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A local resident points at the Dragon's Mouths. The 19-year old hairdresser was determined. On May 16, she and the kids packed into an aging fishing vessel. They snapped photos from the shore near the town of Guiria, where thousands have departed in recent years, and messaged loved ones goodbye. The craft, the Ana Maria, never arrived. No migrants or wreckage have been found. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

4/18

A view of a trail taken by migrants, among them Maroly Bastardo and her children. A man believed to be the boat’s pilot, 25-year-old Venezuelan named Alberto Abreu, was plucked from the sea on May 17 by a fisherman and taken to nearby Grenada. Abreu told his rescuer the Ana Maria had sunk the night before. He fled before police could complete their investigation, Grenadian authorities said, and hasn’t been spotted since. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A view of a trail taken by migrants, among them Maroly Bastardo and her children. A man believed to be the boat’s pilot, 25-year-old Venezuelan named Alberto Abreu, was plucked from the sea on May 17 by a fisherman and taken to nearby Grenada. Abreu told his rescuer the Ana Maria had sunk the night before. He fled before police could complete their investigation, Grenadian authorities said, and hasn’t been spotted since. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

5/18

A vandalised cross is located on a main avenue at the home town of Maroly Bastardo. Anguished, Carolina clings to hope that perhaps a lesser tragedy has befallen her daughter and grandchildren. She prays smugglers are holding them hostage to extract more money, and that any day now she will get the ransom call. “My heart tells me they are alive,” Carolina said. “But it’s a torture.” (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A vandalised cross is located on a main avenue at the home town of Maroly Bastardo. Anguished, Carolina clings to hope that perhaps a lesser tragedy has befallen her daughter and grandchildren. She prays smugglers are holding them hostage to extract more money, and that any day now she will get the ransom call. “My heart tells me they are alive,” Carolina said. “But it’s a torture.” (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

6/18

Boats are docked at Alcan Bay, in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 2016, almost 25,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Trinidad, according to government figures, many without documentation. Traffickers have been known to abandon their human cargo in rough waters and force female and child passengers into prostitution. A shortage of spare parts in Venezuela means boats often take to sea in disrepair. (Andrea De Silva / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Boats are docked at Alcan Bay, in Trinidad and Tobago. Since 2016, almost 25,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Trinidad, according to government figures, many without documentation. Traffickers have been known to abandon their human cargo in rough waters and force female and child passengers into prostitution. A shortage of spare parts in Venezuela means boats often take to sea in disrepair. (Andrea De Silva / REUTERS)

7/18

Relatives of Maroly Bastardo, show one of her t-shirts at their home. For Bastardo, the grinding hardships of life in Venezuela loomed as the greater danger. She was feeling exhausted and increasingly anxious about her health and of her baby in the event of a difficult labor. “Things are too rough here girl,” Bastardo texted an aunt in the days leading up to her departure from Venezuela. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Relatives of Maroly Bastardo, show one of her t-shirts at their home. For Bastardo, the grinding hardships of life in Venezuela loomed as the greater danger. She was feeling exhausted and increasingly anxious about her health and of her baby in the event of a difficult labor. “Things are too rough here girl,” Bastardo texted an aunt in the days leading up to her departure from Venezuela. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

8/18

A general view of El Tigre city. Bastardo grew up in this interior boomtown in Venezuela’s famed Orinoco Oil Belt, the source of much of the nation’s oil wealth. Carolina, Bastardo’s mother, worked in the kitchen of a hotel that catered to visiting oil executives. Bastardo attended private school and talked of becoming a doctor. She and her little sister, Aranza, sang songs in the bedroom they shared. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A general view of El Tigre city. Bastardo grew up in this interior boomtown in Venezuela’s famed Orinoco Oil Belt, the source of much of the nation’s oil wealth. Carolina, Bastardo’s mother, worked in the kitchen of a hotel that catered to visiting oil executives. Bastardo attended private school and talked of becoming a doctor. She and her little sister, Aranza, sang songs in the bedroom they shared. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

9/18

The good times faded with mismanagement of state-run oil company PDVSA by late President Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro. The fallout hit El Tigre hard. The swanky hotel closed its doors and Carolina lost her job. Bastardo quit school at age 16 to earn a few dollars a week cutting hair. She and Berra, a construction worker, had two children, Dylan and Victoria. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

The good times faded with mismanagement of state-run oil company PDVSA by late President Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro. The fallout hit El Tigre hard. The swanky hotel closed its doors and Carolina lost her job. Bastardo quit school at age 16 to earn a few dollars a week cutting hair. She and Berra, a construction worker, had two children, Dylan and Victoria. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

10/18

With another baby on the way Berra left in February for Trinidad. Bastardo would require a Cesarean section, her third. The prospect of giving birth in the local hospital terrified her, her mother said. Venezuela’s national healthcare system is now plagued by shortages of imported drugs, equipment and even basics like rubber gloves. Thousands of doctors and nurses no longer show up for work. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

With another baby on the way Berra left in February for Trinidad. Bastardo would require a Cesarean section, her third. The prospect of giving birth in the local hospital terrified her, her mother said. Venezuela’s national healthcare system is now plagued by shortages of imported drugs, equipment and even basics like rubber gloves. Thousands of doctors and nurses no longer show up for work. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

11/18

Local residents wait for a boat in a dock at Guiria. Trinidad would almost certainly have better medical care, Bastardo and Berra reckoned. An extra incentive: a child born there would be a citizen and could make it easier for them to obtain legal residency someday. Family members would accompany Bastardo to watch out for her and the little ones, 3-year-old Dylan and Victoria, 2. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Local residents wait for a boat in a dock at Guiria. Trinidad would almost certainly have better medical care, Bastardo and Berra reckoned. An extra incentive: a child born there would be a citizen and could make it easier for them to obtain legal residency someday. Family members would accompany Bastardo to watch out for her and the little ones, 3-year-old Dylan and Victoria, 2. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

12/18

On April 2, Bastardo, the children, and her sister-in-law Katerin traveled 500 kilometers by taxi to the port of Guiria. The city is known as a hub of migrant tracking and drug running. There they joined Berra’s father, Luis, and his Uncle Antonio, who would also make the trip. The six settled into this rundown hotel above a Chinese restaurant to make final preparations. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

On April 2, Bastardo, the children, and her sister-in-law Katerin traveled 500 kilometers by taxi to the port of Guiria. The city is known as a hub of migrant tracking and drug running. There they joined Berra’s father, Luis, and his Uncle Antonio, who would also make the trip. The six settled into this rundown hotel above a Chinese restaurant to make final preparations. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

13/18

A setback followed on April 23: A migrant boat heading for Trinidad with 37 passengers overturned in the Dragon’s Mouths. Smugglers hunkered down for a few weeks. News of the accident unnerved Bastardo’s mother. The night before the scheduled departure, Carolina begged her daughter to reconsider. Bastardo replied via text: “Mothers have to do what they can to help their children....Don’t worry. Better times are coming.” (Ivan Alarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A setback followed on April 23: A migrant boat heading for Trinidad with 37 passengers overturned in the Dragon’s Mouths. Smugglers hunkered down for a few weeks. News of the accident unnerved Bastardo’s mother. The night before the scheduled departure, Carolina begged her daughter to reconsider. Bastardo replied via text: “Mothers have to do what they can to help their children....Don’t worry. Better times are coming.” (Ivan Alarado / REUTERS)

14/18

On Thursday, May 16, a friend of Luis’s, Raymond Acosta took the voyagers to a taxi stand, where they said their goodbyes. Before they boarded, Bastardo snapped a photo of Katerin, Dylan and Victoria with their backs to the camera, staring out to sea. She sent it to her family.The plan was to arrive at the Trinidadian port of Chaguaramas under cover of darkness. The journey from Guiria typically takes about four hours. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

On Thursday, May 16, a friend of Luis’s, Raymond Acosta took the voyagers to a taxi stand, where they said their goodbyes. Before they boarded, Bastardo snapped a photo of Katerin, Dylan and Victoria with their backs to the camera, staring out to sea. She sent it to her family.The plan was to arrive at the Trinidadian port of Chaguaramas under cover of darkness. The journey from Guiria typically takes about four hours. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

15/18

Evening turned to night. The Ana Maria didn’t show. Back in El Tigre, Bastardo’s family was growing uneasy. She and the others were not returning text messages. By May 18, reports of the Ana Maria’s disappearance had surfaced in the news and social media. In a Facebook post, Robert Richards, an American fisherman, said he had found a “young man” on Friday afternoon, floating 50 kms offshore of Trinidad, “fighting for his life.” (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Evening turned to night. The Ana Maria didn’t show. Back in El Tigre, Bastardo’s family was growing uneasy. She and the others were not returning text messages. By May 18, reports of the Ana Maria’s disappearance had surfaced in the news and social media. In a Facebook post, Robert Richards, an American fisherman, said he had found a “young man” on Friday afternoon, floating 50 kms offshore of Trinidad, “fighting for his life.” (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

16/18

Children play on the shore of ‘La Salina’ area. Abreu was identified as the man in the photos by relatives of people on the Ana. Venezuela’s Civil Protection agency confirmed he had been rescued. They said the man left the hospital without “authorisation.” Venezuelan authorities barely searched for the Ana Maria. Trinidad’s coast guard conducted its own search, but spotted no signs of the Ana Maria or its passengers. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Children play on the shore of ‘La Salina’ area. Abreu was identified as the man in the photos by relatives of people on the Ana. Venezuela’s Civil Protection agency confirmed he had been rescued. They said the man left the hospital without “authorisation.” Venezuelan authorities barely searched for the Ana Maria. Trinidad’s coast guard conducted its own search, but spotted no signs of the Ana Maria or its passengers. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

17/18

A view of Maroly Bastardo's home. With no wreckage or bodies found some relatives of the missing say the migrants were kidnapped. But Trinidadian authorities have not presented any evidence that this happened. Bastardo’s mother says she no longer sleeps. Every time she reads Trinidadian authorities have apprehended a group of undocumented Venezuelan migrants, she wonders if Maroly might be among them. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

A view of Maroly Bastardo's home. With no wreckage or bodies found some relatives of the missing say the migrants were kidnapped. But Trinidadian authorities have not presented any evidence that this happened. Bastardo’s mother says she no longer sleeps. Every time she reads Trinidadian authorities have apprehended a group of undocumented Venezuelan migrants, she wonders if Maroly might be among them. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

18/18

Maroly Bastardo’s nine-year-old sibling, Aranza, plays outside their house. “It just causes me more agony: Is it her? Is it not her?” Carolina said from her porch in El Tigre, staring into the distance. Aranza, says she believes her big sister is still alive. The child’s birthday is coming up June 30. She tells her mom the only present she wants is to have Bastardo and the others back. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 19, 2019 4:46 PM

Maroly Bastardo’s nine-year-old sibling, Aranza, plays outside their house. “It just causes me more agony: Is it her? Is it not her?” Carolina said from her porch in El Tigre, staring into the distance. Aranza, says she believes her big sister is still alive. The child’s birthday is coming up June 30. She tells her mom the only present she wants is to have Bastardo and the others back. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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