Cops awaiting statements before decision on charges in fatal Essequibo River boat crash
The police are awaiting statements from three persons to complete a file on the September 23rd boat crash in the Essequibo River that left three persons dead which will then be sent for legal advice to determine whether the two boat captains involved will be charged.
Commander of ‘D’ Division, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord, told Stabroek News on Tuesday that there are three statements outstanding from Jaeva Veira Nunes, Milton Duke and Ylentine Hohenkirk, who remain hospitalised at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) and at a private hospital in the city. Lord said that the matter is still being investigated and after obtaining the three statements, the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice before they can determine whether the two captains, Devindra Singh, the captain of the M&Y Express speedboat, and Latchman Sankar, the captain of the unnamed fiberglass vessel, will be charged.
Nunes, Duke and Hohenkirk, who were admitted to the various hospitals on the day of the accident, are no longer in a critical condition and are improving daily.
Lord revealed that the body of Brazilian national Jose Joaquin, who perished in the crash, was cremated on September 30th while the bodies of Sherry Khan and Osafa Anthony Roberts called ‘Marlon’ were handed over to relatives.
Joaquin reportedly died of drowning compounded by cuts caused by the propeller and Khan died of multiple incised wounding caused by the propeller of the boat.
Meanwhile, Director of Maritime Safety at the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Captain John Flores, said that MARAD will not be sanctioning the two captains and will be depending on the police to press charges. He revealed that Singh had an expired boat licence while Sankar had no licence, which makes it difficult for the two captions to be sanctioned. However, he said, MARAD has suspended the M&Y express speedboat’s licence. The fiberglass boat reportedly sunk after the accident.
The incident occurred on September 23rd on the Essequibo River in the vicinity of Hog Island. The authorities have said that the crash occurred at around 7pm. Sankar reportedly told the police that the two boats were heading in opposite directions and when he saw the speedboat, he turned his vessel to the right. However, the speedboat turned in the same direction which caused the vessels to collide and the passengers of the speedboat were flung into the river. Sankar and his mechanic reportedly then helped some of the passengers on board but the boat soon began sinking. They alerted a nearby boat, which transported the passengers to the Parika shores while the fiberglass boat sank.
Khan was pronounced dead on arrival at the WDRH while the bodies of Joaquin and Roberts were recovered one mile apart on the shores of Hog Island two days after the crash. Investigations further revealed that the two captains were using cellphone torchlights to navigate their way on the water.