Two men are feared dead following a boat accident that occurred at Kurutuku Village in the Upper Cuyuni riverine community of Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
The missing persons are Kevin Musa, a 44-year-old miner of Pomeroon, and Alvin Jordan, a 41-year-old father of three of Fellowship/Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara
Police have said the boat mishap occurred on Tuesday at about 18:20h. Investigations have so far revealed that Musa and six of his co-workers, including Jordan, were consuming alcohol at Kurutuku Village when they stopped a metal boat which was powered by a 75HP Yamaha engine and captained by Raul Jarvis, a 36-year-old resident of Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
Feard dead: Alvin Jordan
They asked Jarvis for a drop to their mining camp, which is located about 20 minutes from Kurutuku Village, and he consented to their request. The boat was already transporting two passengers and 14 drums of fuel from Devil Hole Landing to San Martin Landing.
With Musa and his co-workers onboard, the boat set off again on its journey. Police said about ten minutes into their journey, the boat captain was navigating a small rapid when the boat struck a rock, causing the vessel to take in water.
As a result, the occupants jumped out of the boat and swam to shore, leaving Musa and Jordan on a rock in the middle of the Cuyuni River.
Jordan and Musa were heard shouting for a few minutes before the shouting stopped. They are believed to have drowned.
An alarm was raised, and Police were notified. A search party was formed, which included Police and Army ranks, and the search is currently ongoing.
Only a week ago, Walter Da Silva Oliveira, a 49-year-old Brazilian mechanic, was reported missing after he disappeared during a river excursion. Reports are that the incident occurred at about 18:00h on Thursday last at the Suriname Landing in the Middle Mazaruni River.
According to reports from Police Headquarters, Oliveira had, on September 1, travelled from Kumung Kumung in the Puruni River to Suriname Landing in the Middle Mazaruni River, with his co-worker Gerson Alves DaSilva, to do some mechanical work for a woman named Francisca Gonzales Leite. At about 17:40h on Thursday, Oliveira completed his work and borrowed Leite’s 15ft aluminum boat, which was powered by a 15-horsepower outboard engine, to take back some tools he had borrowed from a camp about 10 minutes away along the Mazaruni River. At the time, he was the sole occupant of the boat.
An eyewitness at Suriname Landing said he heard a loud impact, and upon checking, he saw the boat “spinning” in the river and a male shouting for help. An alarm was raised and checks were made in the area for the occupant, but he was not found. The matter was then reported to the Police. Investigations are still underway. (G9)
