Two boats collided in the Essequibo River on Saturday and one man is missing while another is nursing injuries at a city hospital.
Police, in a press statement said that the mishap occurred at about 6:45 pm in the Lanaballi area, Essequibo River. The area is about 11 miles from Bartica.
The missing man has only been identified as ‘Budhan’.
The police said that investigations so far revealed that two boats conveying passengers were travelling in the opposite direction between Parika and Lanaballi when they collided. As a result ‘Budhan’ of Lanaballi fell overboard and is feared drowned, while Deonarine (only name given) also of Lanaballi sustained injuries and has been admitted to a private city hospital.
Deonarine was said to have sustained several cuts from one of the boat’s propellers.
Both he and Budhan were said to be in the same boat, described as a ‘farm boat’.
According to a source, the incident occurred while it was dark and the boats did not have any lights. Following the incident, the vessels returned to Parika, where the matter was reported and the two captains taken into custody. However, they were due to be taken to Bartica yesterday because the area where the incident occurred falls within the jurisdiction of the Bartica Police.
