A Guyana Defence Force Private drowned on Saturday evening when the boat he and another soldier was in capsized in the New River area in the south east of the country.
Dellon Nero, 24 years old, of 1036 Cummings Park, E Field, Sophia drowned around 6:25 pm on Saturday evening at a GDF location in the New River Area, a release from the army stated.
“The army called us and told us he and another boy was in a boat and the boat capsized and he drowned…he couldn’t swim
but the other boy could swim so when it turn over he swim to the bank and Dellon went down,” the man’s aunt told Stabroek News. His distraught mother was unable to speak.
This newspaper understands that the duo was not on duty at the time of the accident and it is unclear what
they were doing in the boat or where they were heading.
Nero’s aunt said that the army has kept in regular contact with the family and after the body was found yesterday morning they were duly notified and were also told that an investigative team was sent to the area.
In addition, plans were being made to have the body flown to the city last evening.
Nero, the older of two children, was deployed to the New River Area about a month ago after being transferred from Timehri. His mother, June Sancho said that since he left she had not communicated with him and as such it was hard to come to terms with the fact that he
was dead.
The former St Winifriede’s Secondary School student, she informed, was a dedicated worker who loved his job and would contribute to her and his sister’s financial upkeep.
He had no wife or children and lived with his mother and sister at their Sophia home when he was not on active duty.
The army said that a team of investigators from the GDF and Police Force was flown to the location yesterday morning to conduct investigations.
Chief of Staff of the army, Brigadier Mark Phillips, told this newspaper that the team will take about two days to complete the investigations.
