The body of a man who went missing after the boat he was in collided with another in the Essequibo River on Saturday evening, was found at Stampa Island yesterday.
Dead is Asif Ali called ‘Budhan’, 27 years of Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara.
The police said yesterday that a post-mortem examination performed by Dr. Nehaul Singh gave the cause of death as asphyxiation due to drowning compounded by blunt trauma to the head.
Meanwhile, the two boat captains are still in police custody assisting with investigations.
Police, in a release on Sunday had said that the mishap occurred around 6:45 pm in the Lanaballi area, Essequibo River. The area is about 11 miles from Bartica.
The release added that according to investigations two boats conveying passengers were travelling in the opposite direction between Parika and Lanaballi when they collided.
As a result Ali fell over board while Deonarine (only name given) also of Lanaballi sustained injuries and was subsequently admitted to a private city hospital.
Deonarine sustained several cuts from one of the boat’s propellers. Both he and Budhan were said to be travelling in the same boat, described as a `farm boat’.