The body of a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldier was recovered yesterday afternoon, one day after he allegedly drowned while at a river aback the army’s Medical Centre at Base Camp Jaguar, New River.
The dead rank has been identified as Lance Corporal Dwayne Johnson, whose death is to be the subject of an inquiry.
The army, in a press release issued yesterday afternoon, confirmed the fatal incident, which occurred around 1.55 pm on Thursday, while noting that a Board of Inquiry has since been convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the release, Johnson went under on Thursday afternoon while he and eight other ranks were at the river.
As a result, an alarm was raised and a search was immediately launched to locate him.
“Defence Headquarters ordered the deployment of the teams and also reached out to the members of the local Amerindian community to assist in the search,” the release noted.
The GDF explained that Johnson’s body was recovered yesterday around 1.35 pm by a team comprising of Special Forces Squadron and specialist divers from the Coast Guard.
The army, including the Commander-in-Chief, the Defence Board, Chief of Staff and ranks, extended sincere condolences to the family and friends of Johnson.
