2 soldiers injured after GDF truck rolls overboard at Kurupukari Crossing
Ranks tending to one of their injured colleagues after the GDF truck rolled overboard
Two ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) have been medivacked to Georgetown after the army truck in which they were travelling rolled overboard at the Kurupukari Crossing in the upper Essequibo River on Wednesday morning.
The GDF issued a statement later in the day detailing that a military convoy was transporting troops from Region Nine (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) to Georgetown when one of its trucks became submerged in the river. According to the GDF, all ranks were safely rescued from the water, but two soldiers have since been medically evacuated to Georgetown, and have been rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital to seek medical attention.
Moreover, the truck has since been recovered, the GDF has said.
Allegations have also surfaced that weapons had gone missing after the vehicle went into the water. However, this newspaper’s attempts to confirm these allegations have been futile.
Some of the soldiers after swimming to shore at Kurupukari
On the other hand, this publication understands that a notice had been issued since last week in regard to the tonnage per truck using the crossing.
“Maybe it was faulting passaging, or could be the weather conditions there… Since Sunday, a circular went out as it relates to the crossing, [detailing] the axle and the tonnage that the pontoon can transport,” a senior law enforcement official told Guyana Times.
It is also a requirement that all occupants except the driver disembark the vehicle when it is being placed on the pontoon to cross the river, but this was not adhered to by the army ranks.
“All the Lethem buses and trucks adhere to [the circular]…I think GDF probably bully the people [to stay on the truck],” the senior law enforcement official has said.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has seen a video that was captured by a civilian shortly after the incident occurred. In that video, some GDF ranks were seen overboard swimming onshore. A few of them ventured back into the water to assist their colleagues.
There was a larger group of soldiers on the ramp trying to resuscitate another rank.
In the video, the driver of the GDF truck was heard saying that there was an issue with the vehicle’s braking system.
Nevertheless, the GDF said it has since dispatched a response team to the scene to investigate the cause of the accident. (G8)
