2nd miner dies after deadly Cuyuni River boat collision

A second man has died following a river collision in the Cuyuni River near Tapir Landing, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), bringing the death toll to two.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Sunday confirmed that Enzo Mateus Alves De Aviz, a 23-year-old Brazilian national and gold miner of Tipir Backdam and Belém City, Pará State, Brazil, succumbed to his injuries on Friday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) while receiving medical treatment. Police said De Aviz had initially been admitted to the Bartica Regional Hospital in a serious condition before being referred to the Georgetown facility at about 08:45h on Friday for further medical care. He died at approximately 22:00h the same day. His body remains at the hospital mortuary pending a Post-Mortem Examination (PME).
The Brazilian miner’s death comes one day after boat captain Steve Daniels, 57, of Kartabo Village, Lower Mazaruni River, was pronounced dead following the same collision which occurred on Thursday, at about 12:45h. Preliminary investigations indicated that the fatal incident involved two vessels operating along the busy interior waterway. One was a 26-foot wooden boat powered by a 200 HP Yamaha outboard engine, while the other was an 18-foot aluminium boat fitted with a 40 HP Yamaha engine. Police reports state that both vessels were travelling in the area when they collided under circumstances that are still being determined. The impact left multiple occupants injured and both captains critically affected.
Emergency responders transported the injured to the Bartica Regional Hospital, where initial treatment was administered before the most severe cases were referred to Georgetown. The captain of one of the vessels has since been taken into custody and is assisting with the investigation.