Body of boat operator in mishap yet to be recovered

Attempts to locate missing boat operator Kendol Rodriguez, who is feared dead after his boat capsized in the Upper Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Sunday morning, have proved futile thus far.

G Division (Essequibo Coast-Essequibo Islands) Commander Khali Pareshram told Guyana Times that although a search party combed the area in which the man was reported to have fallen overboard, his body was nowhere to be seen.
However, the Police Commander stated that efforts to locate same have been intensified and the search would continue.
On Sunday, Rodriguez who hails from Kabakaburi village, Upper Pomeroon, was transporting 42-year-old Joseph Thomas, a sawman of the same village, when the boat mishap occurred.
However, Thomas was the only one to be rescued by a boat that had been passing in the area shortly after the accident took place.
Reports are that on Saturday night, Thomas and Rodriguez had attended a wedding celebration and had been consuming alcohol there for hours. Around 02:00h on Sunday, the duo left the wedding house to return to their homes via a 15-horsepower boat owned by Rodriguez.
However, according to Thomas, they were in the vicinity of Siriki village when Rodriguez “suddenly began to swerve from left to right” and this resulted in the boat capsizing and both men falling into the river.
The sawman told the Police that he managed to hold on to a side of the overturned vessel, but did not see what happened to Rodriguez.
Shortly after, a boat that was in the area at the same time rendered assistance to Thomas and reportedly conducted a search for Rodriguez. However, the search proved futile.
According to the Police, it was around 09:00h on Sunday, some seven hours after the mishap took place, that Thomas made a report about the incident.
Thomas remains in Police custody, where he is said to be assisting with the investigation into this matter.