Two men are dead and a ten-year-old boy is missing following a boat accident in the Essequibo River but some relatives have raised the theory that the craft was rammed and the men robbed.
The bodies of Jainarine Dinanauth, 45, of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo and Henry Gibson, 45, of Hog Island, Essequibo River were discovered in their shattered wooden boat, which was drifting just off the eastern side of Hog Island at about 9:30am yesterday. Dinanauth’s son, Ricky Jainarine, 10, was in the boat with them and is missing. There was no sign of the other boat that was involved in the accident and no report that it had contacted the authorities.
Police said in a statement that they are investigating a river mishap, which, according to them, occurred between 6:30 pm on Monday and 8:30 am yesterday. Investigations reveal-ed that the trio left the Parika Stelling at about 6:30 pm on Monday for Hog Island in a wooden boat. After he had not made contact with her, Dinanauth’s reputed wife began making enquiries and subsequently formed a search party with the assistance of public-spirited persons, the police stated. They eventually found the bodies of Dinanauth and Gibson, which bore injuries, in the badly damaged boat. The vessel was in the Essequibo River in the vicinity of Hog Island, said the police. The body of Ricky, who is feared dead, has not yet been recovered.
Intense grief overwhelmed many relatives on Hog Island yesterday as they struggled to accept that the men were dead. Dinanauth- a miner and also a farmer, had just returned from the interior on Saturday, relatives said. His reputed wife, Salimoon Rahaman told Stabroek News that she last spoke to Dinanauth as he was in the river heading to Hog Island. Amid deep grief, the woman related that she spoke to him at 6:30 pm on Monday as he waited on the Parika beach for Gibson to arrive to pick him up. Ten minutes later, they spoke again and over the sound of an engine, he told her that he would arrive in the next 15 minutes. He never made it home and after some time had elapsed, the deeply worried woman called his phone several times. “I call and call and up to now I can’t get an answer”, the woman said dissolving again into tears.
Dinanauth had returned from the interior, where he worked at a gold mine, on Saturday, and had called her from Bartica, she recalled. When the miner arrived from Bartica, he proceeded to his Zeelugt home, where his wife and two daughters reside. He had returned from the mines because his mother was sick, relatives, who gathered at the Zeelugt home yesterday, said.
On Monday evening he left to go to the family’s Hog Island farm. After being unable to contact him, yesterday morning, Rahaman and her eldest son went to the river to search. She told Stabroek News that from close to the shore of nearby Leguan Island, she observed a white object and thinking that it was the boat, proceeded there.
It was indeed the boat and portions of the front part were shattered. The upper portion of Henry’s body was lying half-submerged in the water at the back of the boat, close to the engine. Dinanauth’s body was lying face-up, at the shattered portion. His face bore many marks and there were two cuts at his neck, Rahaman said. She recalled that his face was black and blue, his teeth were exposed, there were cuts on his forehead and his eyes were swollen. Henry sustained a gash to the back of his head and was still bleeding when the discovery was made, she said.
The grieving woman said that a bag, which Dinanauth would normally travel with, was missing. However, the licenced firearm holder’s revolver was still in his pocket as was a blue rag. She said that she made no further checks. However, she noted that he usually wore a lot of jewellery but this time she saw no sign of any. According to her, Dinanauth’s brother had said that he was $300,000 with him. Before collapsing and fainting the woman lamented the fate of her reputed husband and son. “Go look fuh me son nah”, she said sobbing loudly.
Gibson had gone to collect his neighbour after Rahaman was unable to go because she had been cooking. In tears, his wife, Lilawattie Persaud told Stabroek News that they had been working in the fields when Dinanauth called and asked her husband to collect him at Parika. He left at about 6 pm and Ricky went along with him. Later in the night, Rahaman called and expressed worry that they had not arrived. Persaud said that yesterday morning, she called a relative and a few minutes later, he called back and related the news.
The couple are the parents of three children, two boys, aged eight and five years and a two-year-old girl. Relatives gathered at the couple’s humble home to offer their support. They said that Gibson was a hard worker. “He doan deh in the house and sleep in the day…every day the man does go an do work, even Sunday”, they recalled. Gibson had been in the process of clearing a two-acre plot to plant. He is also survived by two brothers and three sisters.
Many persons and relatives gathered at the Parika beach yesterday to view the shattered boat. Dinanauth’s brother, Ramnarine told Stabroek News that he received a call that his brother had been found dead and went to the area. Some persons raised the question of whether the men were robbed pointing to the missing bag and stated that given the extent of the damage, the boat would have turned over. Police sources said that they did not have any firm indication of a robbery.
The bodies of Dinanauth and Gibson were taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and post-mortem examinations are expected to be done shortly.
