A Guyanese-born woman drowned in the Dutch island of St Maarten during a fishing expedition with her husband on Saturday.
The dead woman has been identified as Andrea Singh. She and her husband, Vish Singh, are residents of Steward Estate Oyster Pond and own a construction company on the island.
Dead: Andrea Singh
According to the St Maarten News Network (SMN), the couple went fishing in Back Bay when they found themselves in difficulty due to the rough seas.
It was reported that the police said the couple was swept off the rocks, causing the male to suffer severe injuries while the female lost her life due to drowning.
SMN reported on Saturday that the couple is well known in the Guyanese community in St Maarten as Vish is also a well-known cricket player and operated the cricket bar for a number of years.
Further reports revealed that the Coast Guard received a notice from the St Maarten Police that persons were in a drowning situation at Back Bay.
It was noted that a lady fell in the water after a wave surge swept her away. Her partner jumped into the water in an attempt to help her get out of the water, but unfortunately, he was unable to rescue her.
The St Maarten Coast Guard patrol assisting with the rescue efforts
According to local reports, a nearby fisherman, who was an onlooker in the situation, alarmed the authorities. The nearby fisherman assisted them by offering his cooler as a floatation device. Her partner managed to get himself out of the water, onto the rocks, and back to safety after many attempts to retrieve the lady.
“The Coast Guard Metal Shark was immediately dispatched to the location in order to assist. At arrival, the Metal Shark patrol found the lady unconscious, laying in the water. The Metal Shark patrol got her out of the water and brought her to the pier at Great Bay where an ambulance was waiting. There, the paramedics and Coast Guard personnel gave CPR to the victim, but sadly she already passed away,” reports from St Maarten stated.
Moreover, it was reported that the St Maarten Sea Rescue patrol had also sailed to the site to assist the Fire Department personnel with taking her wounded partner to an area where paramedics were able to treat him and where the ambulance took him to the Sint Maarten Medical Center. (G8)
