The body of a miner who went missing on Monday evening after the boat he was travelling in capsized in the Mazaruni River was discovered yesterday morning.
Twenty-four-year-old Orlando Billy Graham of Sisters Village, Long Pond, West Bank Demerara (WBD) and two other men were said to be returning from Puruni, Mazaruni where he had been operating for the last three months.
Stabroek News made efforts to contact police and the Maritime Administration Depart-ment (MARAD) for updates on the accident to no avail.
Though relatives know Graham’s body has been discovered they say they are still not entirely clear on the circumstances surrounding his demise. The two other men, one reportedly the man piloting the boat and another, referred to only as `Micey’, survived the accident and were able to swim to shore where they were reportedly rescued by a group of Brazilian miners.
Graham’s sister told Stabroek News yesterday that `Micey’ broke the news to Graham’s older brother, Floyd Graham, after he was rescued. `Micey’ supposedly told Floyd that he, Graham and another man left the Puruni platform and were travelling to Bartica when their boat, which they bought in Puruni, “turned over” two hours from the Puruni landing. The accident is said to have taken place around 18:45 hrs.
`Micey’ reportedly said that neither he nor the pilot could find Graham once they regained their bearings. Graham’s sister said that after her brother could not be found `Micey’ sought out Floyd who is also a miner in the Puruni area, and told him that Graham had drowned.
The man’s relatives are skeptical about this rendering of the accident as they say Graham was a powerful swimmer. His sister says that he was once a cane cutter and would swim across vast canals with his food in one hand to get to the fields. She believes that unless he went under and hit his head on something he should have re-surfaced and made it to shore with the other occupants of the boat.
After it got too dark to look for Graham’s body on Monday night, `Micey’, Floyd, and other pork knockers returned to the scene of the accident to carry out additional searches. The Bartica police are also said to have been alerted to the accident and one of the officers reportedly travelled to the area to assist with search efforts.
`Micey’ told relatives that the police arrived at the scene of the accident on Wednesday but did not carry out a search. Instead the officer reportedly determined that Graham had likely drowned as the accident occurred since Monday. `Micey’ said the police told those gathered in the area that the body would likely “float up” after 72 hours passed.
Graham’s sister said that Floyd, `Micey’ and other pork knockers searched regardless and his body was discovered floating beneath a log yesterday morning. Meanwhile, relatives say that the third person `Micey’ said was travelling in the boat is yet to be seen.
Relatives are also saying that `Micey’ was asked to go to the Bartica Police Station to make a formal report of what transpired and that he is yet to do so.
Graham has been working in the interior for the last two and a half years.
