No. 63 Beach tragedy victims died from asphyxia due to drowning
-autopsies find
Alwin Joseph and Babuni Harihar, the two persons whose bodies were recovered after an ill-fated bid to return to Guyana from Suriname via the backtrack route on Monday evening, died from both asphyxia and drowning, pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Bridgemohan concluded yesterday.
The bodies of Joseph, 30, a welder, of P Chandishawweg District, Paramaribo and Harihar, also known as ‘Doris’, 75, a pensioner, of Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice were discovered at various points on Wednesday morning.
Following autopsies conducted yesterday by Dr Bridgemohan, the two bodies were handed over to their relatives for burial.
A third person, Sherida Hussain, also known as ‘Sherry’, 49, of Lot 274 Pilot Street, New Amsterdam remains missing and is presumed dead.
Her son, Joshua Samaroo, continued to search with relatives and friends along the Corentyne foreshore for the woman’s body. Up to press time they had not located it.
Samaroo had previously said that yesterday would have been the last day for the search since they are taking into consideration the state of decomposition her body might be in at this time.
Police had discovered Hussain’s travel bag and a personal handbag containing her identification card, passport, medical and other items at the Number 70 Foreshore.
The trio boarded a boat in Suriname on Monday evening to travel to Guyana via the backtrack route. However, sometime around 7 pm, they were dropped off at a sandbank at the Number 63 Beach, Corentyne.
Hussain, also known as ‘Sherry’, 49, of Lot 274 Pilot Street, New Amsterdam, called her son around 7.30 pm and informed him that they were surrounded by waist-high water. “She was saying that they’re off at some bank and the water is up to her waist,” Samaroo had told this publication.
She had also related to her son that that she couldn’t see land.
Joseph’s sister, Samantha Joseph, contacted him around 8 pm and he then pleaded with her to make contact with the boat captain and ask that he [the captain] return and pick them up since they were not able to find land.
Samantha said after she was unable to get onto the boat captain she contacted relatives on the Corentyne who rushed to the beach, while Samaroo after receiving the call also rushed to the beach.
Relatives of Harihar in Guyana were contacted just around 9 pm by relatives in Suriname who related that they were unable to get on to the pensioner’s phone.
Harihar’s relatives then rushed to the scene, where they met Hussain’s and Joseph’s relatives.