Couple die after husband jumps into septic tank to rescue wife

The lifeless bodies of a Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD) couple were on Thursday evening pulled from a septic tank aback their home after the husband jumped into the tank to rescue his wife, who had fallen in.
Dead are 51-year-old Ramlall Madhoo and Camille Dwarka, 42, both of Hyde Park Timehri, EBD.

Ramlall Madhoo and his wife Camille Dwarka in happier times

Preliminary investigations revealed that, at about 21:00h, the now dead woman had gone to collect her ‘tenny’, but due to the darkness, she allegedly walked on the septic tank, causing the cover to split in two. As a result, she reportedly fell into the tank and her head was submerged, but not before screaming for help.
Upon hearing the screams, her husband went to her rescue, and instead of waiting on assistance, he also jumped into the tank with the intention of getting her out.
It is believed that, due to her weight, he was unable to do so, and he also suffocated.
The Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Fire Service were contacted, but before they arrived at the scene, the man’s body was retrieved from the tank.
The fire fighters had to cut a section of the septic tank in order to get the woman’s body out. Her body was eventually pulled free some five hours later. The bodies were taken to the Memorial Gardens Mortuary to await a post mortem.

The septic tank in which the couple met their demise

However, when Guyana Times visited the scene on Friday morning, Anita Joseph, the now dead woman’s niece, related that the couple had begun to live with her only about two months ago. She explained that Dwarka had initially lived with her mother a short distance away, but due to a misunderstanding, he was asked to leave the house.
As such, she had taken them in, and they had been stayed at her until their demise.
The niece said that on the night in question, her aunt was seemingly going to take a shower, and had decided to collect her “tenny”.
“It was late, so we would normally take off the lights and only leave one at the back of the house. Where the toilet is, the light can’t reach, and she went to collect the “tenny”, which was near the septic tank, and like end up and walking on the tank and the cover break and she fall in… Up to now we can’t say how she reach in, because of her size.”

The house where the couple stayed up to their demise

The niece added that she was sitting under the house when she heard the woman scream, and upon checking, she saw her in the tank.
“I start holler, and she husband come out fuh see she, and he jumped in to save her, to raise up she face, because she de already fall on she face, and he end up left… He start froth up, and by the time they tek he out, he already dead.”
The young lady further stated that her aunt’s body was pulled out of the tank at about 2:00h. She described her aunt as jovial.
The couple had been married for more than 23 years, and their union had produced one daughter. The daughter lived with her grandmother. The now dead couple, relatives stated, would get into small arguments, but nothing too serious.