The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is still investigating the disappearance of Claude Pollard, the boat captain who is believed to have drowned after his vessel collided with the Bartica Hospital marine ambulance just over four weeks ago.
When contacted, Senior Superintendent Dion Moore, who is the Police Commander of Region Seven, said the investigation remains “open” and he added that police are still working to determine what occurred on the day in question.
According to a Guyana Police Force report, at about 7.15pm on January 30th, the marine ambulance was on its way to Bartica from Parika while the boat Pollard was captaining was en route to Parika from Bartica when they collided in the vicinity of Stampa Point.
As a result of the collision, Pollard fell overboard and he has not been seen since.
At the time, Pollard was said to be one of seven persons on his boat, while the ambulance was captained by fifty-nine-year-old Bernard Singh, who had a passenger onboard.
Claude Pollard Jr., during an interview with Stabroek News, stated that the family and friends of his father are continuing to search for him.
The young man, who was also aboard his father’s boat when the accident occurred, was said to have suffered minor injuries.
He recalled the night of the accident and recounted that while heading to Parika, his father attempted to stop the boat and in the process swerved before all aboard felt an impact. The man said at the time of the accident he was unsure of his father’s action but he later understood that his father had swerved to avoid the other boat.
Following the collision, the man said he realised that his father was not in his seat and had immediately asked his sister to stop the boat, after which they began yelling for him but he received no answer.
He stated that they have since searched continuously and they are now seeking to engage divers to assist them in finding the missing man.
Additionally, this newspaper was further informed that while the boat being driven by the missing captain was equipped with lights and also had a headlight worn by the captain, it was stated that the ambulance did not have any lights on and it was a sailor who was driving the boat at the time of the impact and not the captain.
