Police on Wednesday released the driver of the boat which ran over a smaller vessel on Saturday night and killed two persons.
The boat driver was released on station bail after the expiration of the 72-hour period that he could be held without charge.
Police Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker confirmed yesterday that the man was sent on bail and that the matter is still under investigation.
Around 8 pm Nikesha James and her relatives were on their way home from a wedding when they were run over at Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, North West District. James sustained serious injuries to the head and was subsequently pronounced dead at the Port Kaituma Hospital.
Phillip Adams, who was piloting the vessel James was in, was thrown overboard by the impact. His body was recovered early the following morning.
The driver of the larger vessel and his three occupants were allegedly intoxicated and fled the scene without stopping to render assistance. He, however, turned himself over to police late Sunday night. The boat he was driving and the engine were also seized by the police.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Robeson Benn on Monday expressed concern over the frequency of river accidents and he urged persons to take the necessary precautions on the waterways.
“We are extremely concerned, which is why there is a sustained campaign with respect to monitoring and enforcement. I am informed that the Director of Maritime Safety actually was in that area last week, doing work with respect to informing, advising, doing activities with respect to monitoring and enforcement,” he told Stabroek News, while adding that this latest accident highlights that this campaign is necessary and should be sustained.
He said that persons should observe the rules of the river which include, staying to the right of any oncoming vessel, the use of lights at night and slowing down when coming to bends or when approaching smaller vessels.
According to Benn, the new fast boats that are commonly used in the mining areas are also an issue of concern.
Asked about the continuous failure of persons to use life jackets, he said that “you can do so much to require people to put on life jackets… we have to continue to work to change the culture and the behaviour of people.”
Saturday’s accident followed a horrific one in January that left ten persons dead when two small boats collided in the Crab Falls area in the Mazaruni River.
Prior to that, in December, six persons, including three children, died after the boat they were travelling in collided with another boat owned by the Region Two administration in the Pomeroon River. The captain of that boat has since been charged.
In the wake of these two accidents, the Maritime Administration had pledged to step up its safety activities and had started visits to riverain communities to enforce several measures they had drafted.
