Thomas Carstens Jr, the American tourist who died during a fishing expedition in the Rupununi last Tuesday, panicked when he saw the vessel begin to take in water and jumped overboard, resulting in his demise, according to the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
The GPF yesterday issued a statement on the man’s death.
At about 07:00hrs, the police said, Carstens Jr along with Jered Weiland, also of the United States and Jim George, a tour guide and boat captain of Apoteri Village in the North Rupununi, had departed the Kanuku Lodge Eco Resort for a tour.
They ventured upstream in the Essequibo River in an aluminum boat, which measures approximately 15ft in length by 5 ft in width and which was powered by a 15-horsepower outboard engine. It was being captained by George at the time of the mishap.
According to the police report, at about an hour and a half into their journey, they started to go through rapids in the river upstream when the outboard engine encountered a mechanical problem which caused the boat to drift down the rapids. The report said that water started to get into the boat, causing Carstens Jr. to panic.
As a result, the police said that the man then jumped into the river and he held onto the side of the boat. He then tried to get back into the boat but while he was doing so the boat took in more water.
The police added that as a result Weiland and George also jumped into the river and managed to swim to an island that was about 7 meters away from where the boat had stopped. The boat then sank while Carstens went under water and did not resurface.
The police said that the three men were due to return to the resort at 17:00hrs on that date but did not show up. As a result a search party was launched in the river and Weiland and George were found on the island that they had swam to. They related what transpired and the search team reported the matter to the police.
The next day, at about 12:30hrs, ranks visited the area where the incident occurred but there was no sign of Carstens Jr. However, on November 24, at about 12:230hrs, the police said that the man’s body was found about 5 kilometers away from the place of incident and a black camera was strapped to his body which was facing downwards in the water.
Carstens Jr’s body, which was in the early stages of decomposition, was then fished out from the water and placed into a boat, where it was examined by a Detective for marks of violence. No mark of violence was seen. The body was then escorted to Annai Village.
The police report further added that on November 25, at about 01:30hrs, the man’s body arrived at Annai Health Centre. It was then escorted from the Annai Health Centre to the Lethem Regional Hospital where it was officially pronounced dead. It is currently at the hospital’s mortuary, where a post mortem examination was expected to be conducted yesterday.
It was said that Carstens Jr., Weiland and six other foreign nationals had arrived in Apoteri Village, North Rupununi on November 18 by a private chartered aircraft for a seven-day fishing expedition which is hosted by Mark Bolton, of Kanuku Lodge Eco Resort and who is also the host of the ‘Amazon River Monster’.
Less than a month ago, Guyana-born New York policeman, Gladstone Haynes went missing during a visit to the Orinduik Falls. His body was subsequently recovered.
The Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday said following the two incidents, the Government has commenced a “searching inquiry” during which the operations of all stakeholders including the relevant authorities will be examined.
According to the ministry, a “key” feature of the review is a consultation with tour operators and related regulatory agencies which is scheduled for December 13.
In the meantime, the Ministry is urging tourists to only utilize the service of operators and facilities that are authorized by the Guyana Tourism Authority.
