The Coast Guard says it has made contact with Venezuelan authorities to seek their assistance in locating five missing fishermen and their vessel.

In a statement, the TTCG said it is aware of reports regarding the pirogue “AMANDA”.

However, it claims that its Maritime Operations Coordinating Center was not directly contacted by the families of the missing persons.

As such, it says reports that they were told the Coast Guard boats were not working are inaccurate.

It adds that it is awaiting further information from Venezuelan officials and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

David Seepaul, Devanand Seepaul, Gonzalez Ali, Shiva Rampersad and Jeremiah Pasqual have not been seen since leaving a beach in Fullerton on Saturday to fish.

The Hunters Search and Rescue Team says it has been helping to mobilize Cedros fisherfolk to launch searches for the missing fishermen.