Bodies of iguana hunters recovered from Berbice River

The bodies of Rajendra and Reekesh Singh, the father and son who on Friday went missing and feared drowned in the Berbice River after a hunting trip, were on Sunday morning recovered just a short distance from were they had disappeared when the boat in which they were travelling capsized.
The body of 24-year-old son Reekesh Singh was first recovered, and that of his father, 63-year-old Rajindra Singh, was subsequently seen floating mid stream.
According to the police, at approximately 08:30h, on Sunday morning, Videsh Singh, another son of Rajendra, and brother of Reekesh, reported that while assisting family members in the search for the pair, he observed the bodies of two male individuals floating in the Ithaca and Blairmont areas of the Berbice River.
Videsh, a 40-year-old a carpenter of Number 4 Settlement, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, along with family members, retrieved the bodies and transported them to the Rosignol Fishery, where he identified them as his father, Rajendra Singh, and his brother, Reekesh Singh.

The bodies were then escorted to Fort Wellington Hospital, where a doctor on duty pronounced them dead. They are currently at Bailey’s Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.
The father and son were part of a five-member crew in the boat when the incident occurred at about 15:30h on Friday.
The boat was being captained by 48-year-old Sarju Persaud called “Popo” and had on board, Mahatma Dhanraj, 37, a cane harvester of Number 4 Settlement, Blairmont, and a young boy called Mark.
The men had gone to hunt for Iguanas in the Berbice River.
According to the police, the three men went to the Blairmont Police Station and reported, that they, along with the Singhs (father and son) left the Number Four Blairmont sluice in a 15ft wooden boat, powered by a 15hp outboard engine at about 8:30h on Friday with the intention of hunting for iguanas in the Berbice River area. Whilst hunting, they had consumed alcohol.

Persaud told investigators that at about 13:30h, while returning home in the vicinity of Everton in the Berbice River, a heavy wave hit the boat, causing water to enter the vessel.
Persaud further related that when this happened, one of the Singhs jumped overboard.
Thereafter, the boat capsized, and the other persons went overboard. Persaud, Mahatma and Mark managed to swim to shore. However, the father and son were not seen.
Hematite Singh told this publication on Saturday that neither her husband nor son could swim. She explained that her husband, a pensioner, and her son, a security officer attached to the Blairmont Estate, usually hunt for iguanas to sell.
Searches were conducted by the Coast Guard and the Police along with residents on Saturday but they were unsuccessful.