Police will be seeking legal advice on how to proceed against two persons who remain in custody after last week’s fatal boat crash on the Aruka River, Commander of ‘F’ Division Rabindranauth Budhram said yesterday.
Last Thursday, Basil DaSilva, Ophelia James and their three children, Wayne DaSilva, 16; Loyzal DaSilva, 7, and Daveanand James, 6, were traveling on the Aruka River, heading to Central Kumaka, when a boat crashed into theirs.
Basil DaSilva was subsequently thrown out of the boat and into the water, while his wife and three children were left in the boat, which was badly damaged and it started sinking.
James, who had suffered two broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and a punctured lung, had told Stabroek News that her two youngest children were knocked unconscious as the boat was sinking and their older brother, Wayne, tried to save them but his valiant efforts were fruitless and the two children subsequently drowned.
“After we get hit and me father pitch out the boat, all I remember is seeing my mother lying face down in the boat with my little sister and brother,” Wayne recounted to Stabroek News yesterday. He said that after his mother regained consciousness, he tried to swim to the shore with his two unconscious siblings. “After the boat start sinking ’cause the engine and everything was damage, I hold on to them and try me best with them and all of a sudden all of we just sink down. We sink down and I float up back and I couldn’t find them,” the still emotionally distraught boy said.
He explained that that after he floated back above the water, he saw his mother going down and went to her rescue. He was able to hold on to her and swim her to a nearby tree root, where he, his mother and his father held on for their lives.
Basil DaSilva also related to Stabroek News that after he was knocked off of the boat and into the water, he heard his wife shouting for help. “By the time I float back, I hear me wife hollering for help and I had to catch the shore and she was far away from me,” the man said. He related that his family held on for a long time before they were rescued.
While Basil and Wayne were treated at the Mabaruma Hospital for minor injuries, James was air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she is still a patient.
When Stabroek News inquired why the family wasn’t equipped with lifejackets, Basil DaSilva related that with such small boats, they would not usually use them and even if they would want to purchase them, they are difficult to find in the area.
James had stated that often passengers of smaller vessels that traverse the area are left at the mercy of the larger and faster boats since some drivers tend to show little to no consideration for those in smaller boats. When asked if concerns about this were ever raised, James stated that no one is doing anything about it since she finds even Coastguards in the area operate in the same manner.
‘Stronger regulations’
However, when Stabroek News contacted the Maritime Administration (MARAD) Head Claudette Rogers, she said she was unaware of the claims made by the residents about the coastguards operating in a reckless manner. She said that while the allegations do not merit a full scale investigation, she would write to the commander to inform him of the allegations.
In reference to the accident, Rogers explained that a team would be going to the area sometime during the week to conduct an investigation. “With any marine accident, we have to conduct our investigation. While the police will deal with the death, we have to find out if the operators were licensed, whether the boat was licensed,” she pointed out, while highlighting that they will also be checking on the safety standards.
Rogers pointed out that they have been in the area several times before to hold safety awareness seminars and sensitisation programmes aimed at reducing the amount of boating accidents that occur. “Safety is our watchword and we regret every accident and we know accidents don’t just happen and are caused because of human error,” she pointed out.
She highlighted that they are looking towards setting up safety centres and have already started with one in Bartica and Charity and are looking towards having one in every area where boats are heavily relied on.
“We also want to draft stronger regulations, like how you can penalise a person and such,” she said, while adding that although it is in a work in progress, MARAD wants to drastically minimise the amount of boating accidents that occur.
Rogers also said that safety should be everyone’s business, while Commander of ‘F’ Divi-sion, division, Senior Superinten-dent Ravindradat Budhram urged all boat operators to observe the marine laws and precautions in a bid to minimise accidents.
Funeral services are expected to be held sometime today for the two children.
