Tragedy visited a Guyanese family yesterday when one of its young members fell over Kaieteur Falls, traumatizing the tour group she was with.
Aliya Bulkan
Twenty-three-year-old Aliya Bulkan, of New Providence, East Bank Demerara, daughter of businessman Rustum Bulkan and his wife Kamini went over the waterfall some time around 11 am yesterday, while on a visit to the area. The second of three daughters, Bulkan had only recently returned from the United States where she had been studying. A female relative said yesterday that the family was in deep shock over the incident.
Bulkan and eight other passengers, including one of her close friends, left the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on board a Roraima Airways aircraft for the Kaieteur National Park. The group was booked to have a structured tour.
Proprietor of Roraima Airways Gerry Gouveia said the plane took off at 8.20 am and landed at 9.10 am. According to him, the two-hour tour through the national park and then to the waterfall, was nearing completion when the incident occurred.
He said the group was small and so there was only one tour guide. He said the information reaching him was that the tourists were walking in “the usual single file” returning to the aircraft when the young woman turned back towards the falls, screamed and then disappeared.
Gouveia was communicating with his staff at Timehri who recounted that two Koreans who were on the tour recounted that the young woman had been the last person in the line. According to him, his staff had spoken to the Koreans, in particular a woman, who said she saw Bulkan go over the falls. The woman was up to late yesterday very traumatized as was Bulkan’s friend.
“We deem her missing,” Gouveia said. “… Teams out there, including the police, are searching the area and the army is standing by and they have been very helpful.”
Gouveia explained that the fall at this time is at its peak. Kaieteur Falls, easily one of the most powerful falls on the planet, has the rare combination of great height and great volume. Located in the Kaieteur National Park, the approximately 113 metres (370 ft) wide Potaro River plunges 226 metres (741 ft) over a sandstone cliff – Kaieteur’s first break. It then flows over a series of steep cascades which when included in the measurements, bring the total height to 251 metres (822 ft).
Rails?
Describing the incident as extremely unfortunate, Gouveia said there was need for a re-examination of safety features at the tourist site.
There are no safety rails at Kaieteur Falls, unlike several other waterfalls around the world which are tourist sites.
Contacted for a comment in this regard, Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad said he had heard of the incident but was still awaiting details. He said he would not speak with this newspaper at the time. When probed about the safety issues which may result, he said he would need the full details to comment and recommended that this newspaper contact him on Monday.
Immediate past president of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Renata Chuck-A-Sang said the incident was extremely unfortunate and ought not to have happened.
Asked whether the issue of better safety mechanisms at the Kaieteur Falls had been raised during her tenure, she replied in the affirmative stating that this was why the tour guides who worked there were the best trained.
“We, as an industry, spent a lot of time to ensure that they were trained well, because Kaieteur is one of the most accessible falls and that’s what makes it one of the most dangerous,” she said.
Chuck-A-Sang said there had been a rush to influence the construction of barriers in some quarters, while some environmentalists had argued for the area to remain untouched because of its delicate eco-system.
“So the challenge has always been how do we handle this concern and still make folks happy,” she said.
She insisted that safety was of paramount concern to the tourism industry but stressed that many had maintained that the fall was pristine and its natural state made it beautiful.
The current THAG president is in the interior and could not be contacted for comment yesterday.
Up to last evening the police had made no progress in the recovery efforts and according to Gouveia the army would pitch in. “It is going to be a very hard recovery effort,” he said.
In 1998 Bulkan was the top student in the Secondary School’s Entrance Examination (SSEE). Back then, the former St Margaret’s Primary School student in an interview with Stabroek News was passionate about becoming an astronomer. Her success did not end there as she was again highlighted in the news when she became one of Queen’s College and the country’s top students in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams where she gained eight grade ones and two grade twos.
She attended the University of Guyana and went on to further studies in the United States at Stony Brook University in New York, this newspaper understands.
WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL WAS SHE DOING SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE?????????
Sanddhurst ure so damn insensitive as usual….this is a time of grief and all u find is pitch in a critique…do u ever find peace of mind with the kind of critical life u live..ure damn digusting
I agree, come on sand, a young woman who could have been any of our sisters is dead and we all know it was a terrible accident. There is a time to exercise sensitivity and a time to be crude. Why can’t you just see how sad this is and pray that God would comfort her grieving family? And hope in your heart that it never happens to anyone else; people out there please learn from this and exercise caution while visiting in the future. It is truly a beautiful view which one has to be up there in order to experience.
SHF, I was a lil 8 yr old bhai when I stood at the edge of Kaiteur. Actually, I did not stand, I crawled towards the edge and peered over. Hate heights.
SHF, that was my first tough, she should have known better. But it seems when it is our time to go, we just go. That being said,I would like extend my condolences to her family. Because they(OUR CHILDREN) should bury us and not the other way around.
Sandman yet again you are off the mark and most inappropriate, think before you type budday. THINK!
Let’s get real people. The situation is a sad one, a young woman may have lost her life! The question is why was she permitted to return to the falls alone? Who was bringing up the rear? Let’s use this situation to work on preventing such occurrences in the future. In 1998, it was a pilot’s life that the falls claimed. I blame the guide partly, and the victim also. The guide did not pastor his group properly, and the young lady was no child, based on information given above, she is supposed to be a relatively learned person, and should know the dangers that could result from venturing too close to the moving waters at the edge of the falls.
That is not insensitive! This is a tragic story but indeed it is a legit question from Sand. Incidentally, the “incident” was first “rumoured” on blog & social websites as a suicide and many were lamenting the young woman’s demise under the “rumoured” circumstances but ironically it probably was not and maybe SN could have had an immediate “breaking news” item that could have quelled that rumour.
Condolences are extended to her family and friends.
Now I am really curious about this “incident” since the Chronicle is reporting “Sources say that at one point during the tour around The Falls, Bulkhan was seen to be lagging behind the other tourists, and that it was at this point that she was seen to make a sudden dash towards the edge of the precipice, screaming at the top of her voice as she plunged into the abyss below, leaving her friend and the other passengers in shock and disbelief.”
I’ll wait on the investigation to conclude. One can only hope there will be a thorough investigation.
Mr SandHurt for the first time i agree with you. i visit that place about 3 weeks ago and was scare to go to the edge.
WHAT WAS SHE DOING SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE???
“…..He said the group was small and so there was only one tour guide. He said the information reaching him was that the tourists were walking in “the usual single file” returning to the aircraft when the young woman turned back towards the falls, screamed and then disappeared……”
If none of you guys here cannot recognize the fault in that paragraph then you need glasses!!!!!
I dont’ think you’re being insensitive because it’s a logical question that even I asked. Or maybe it’s just my fear of heights….However, I hope she is found soon so that it gives the family some kind of closure. I hope they find STRENGTH in God and each other in this devastating time!
sandhurst is correct what was she doing so close to
the EDGE
may her soul R I P….
Sandhurst there are certain lines one does not cross in life. A terrible accident like this is on of those lines one does not cross by making disparaging comments like the ones you have written. I urge you in the spirit of reconcilliation to write and withdraw your remarks.
I can recall the Stabroek News publication at the time this young lady was shown on the front page as a top performer from my alma mater. I said to myself at that time that she was on her way to success. Perhaps her tragic passing will galvanize a movement to heal our wounded country and do something concrete to bury the hatchet of racial divisiveness.
It is a tremendous tragedy for any person to imagine. I have been at the edge of the Musi O Tunya (Victoria Falls) and I can only imagine that there is something spiritual to be gained and learned from this tragedy. Clearly our God has taken this young lady of such promise back into the bowels of the earth. Is this not where all ultimately end our earthly sojourn? This is a sign that Guyanese must heed.
To the Bulkhan family, as your grieve take heart in knowing that your beloved Aliya will make her contribution to our Guyana. Just keep your faith and know that God has sent a message through her passing that willpositively change Guyana for all time. This is a sign and a signal.
SHF! My first thought exactly. Eldorado – we don’t know for sure if it was an accident. We have to wait and see where the investigation leads to. Was she the one who wanted to go to the Falls in the first place? Something is not right with the Stabroek News story! The wording of the story in GC is more like it to me.
So how are they going to determine if it’s a suicide?
I guess they’ll have to depend on the eye-witness accounts which are the most unreliable form of evidence, and interview her family etc to guage her state of mind in the weeks/days leading up to the trip.
Stabroek News- Didn’t she Jump? Are you assuming she fell? How does someone fall over Kaieteur falls? She a mature woman of great intellectual caliber.
Why does this report sound so watered down?
I’m going to read Kaieteur News….
She killed herself and SN is 2 weak to say it.
He (Gerry Gouveia) said the group was small and so there was only one tour guide.
I therefore , would like to opine that there should be more than 1 tour guide , at all times – regardless of the size of the groups . Safety must be paramount and a tour guide should always be between the visitors and the falls .
you are the most disgusting person on earth
Eldorodo; What ‘hatchet of racial divisiveness’ or ‘disparaging’ remarks., are there in Sandhurst’s blunt and helpful comments? which, if heeded by future visitors may help to prevent future loss of precious lives, irrespective, of race.
Why, did you critique Sandhurst comments, so readily, through the prism of race?
DIGNITY FOR THE DEAD, Armyman
This is very sad.Condolences to her friends and family.Tragedy.
It may be a suicide. Probably the pressure of studying in the US is getting to her and school is now in session and she is in Guyana.
This needs investigation …what a sad day for tourism.
The lack of safety features at the Kaieteur Falls is what contributed to this woman’s death.
At present, tourists are allowed to venture dangerously close to the falls without a railing and are vulnerable to the powerful vacuum from the plummeting water.
The PPP government touts Guyana as a visitors paradise but yet they refuse to provide the necessary safety climate to foster tourism.
Geez, what a poisoned person you are- all the evils of the world are to be blamed on the PPP!? Read the article- she turned back
why every thing happen you always blame the PPP.when was the PNC.time no one ever point a finger they use to seal there mouth ..now they taking advantage on the ppp who trying to do there best while we got others set out to destroy and cause tarnish to the government and people…shame and all who can see further than there nose pleople like you basmattie
I agree with you Bismattie. The Government is the promoters of
tourism in Guyana, how can anyone promote something that is
dangerous and don’t thing about people safety. Kaieteur Falls is a dangerous place, people safety MUST BE FIRST not profit.
Just imagine NO RAILS AT A CRITICAL HAZARD POINT! One has to be LUCKY as not to fall over while viewing or; YOUR TIME HAS COME.Something has always kept me away from all these public/tourist attractions….I never trusted any of these places…for their lack of safety and security…I would rather go out for a meal or a good carribean cock-tail….having a cook-out with neighbours and relatives is the best way I enjoy my vacasions….Drink…Drunk…Laugh…unda dee battam-ouse.
my condolences to this grieving family,friends and relatives.
Dear Mr/Mrs Moderator and Stabroek:
I wish to express my sincere appreciation for allowing us, the readers, the privilege of stating our opinion via your blogs. Even though we are not always happy to be subjected to the censorship axe, we understand your burdensome responsibility and are truly grateful that you exercise said task with integrity and non-political partisanship.
Mr/Mrs Moderator, the loss or harm of a loved one is always difficult but excruciatingly so when the death or harm is deemed preventable or deliberate. Since news of the horrible tragedy, I have reached out to the Bulkan family, whom I know and expressed my condolences for their untimely loss. They are very appreciative of the outpour of support received thus far.
I must say, I am personally shook up by the death of this promising young woman. She had such potential for greatness but unfortunately they will never be accomplished due to lack of safety protocols at the Kaieteur Falls. Someone should be held accountable for this beautiful young woman’s death. I must say, had this been my daughter, I would seek redress through international and local courts. It is the only way to curb future tragedies. RIP
it’s all well and good talking about safey now. that falls was like that for god know how long and this never happen. she was the first person to do some thing like this. i agree with the captin they don’t need to review the safety.
Bismattie, there is much for which the PPP government can be criticized, but this time let’s leave them out of it. Now is the time for mourning the loss of a young and promising life, not for politics.
Is she the first person ever to fell off fall, wow, she mad history, I think.
Bismattie Ramsaywank.
you are quite laffable at times.
He said the group was small and so there was only one tour guide. He said the information reaching him was that the tourists were walking in “the usual single file” returning to the aircraft when the young woman turned back towards the falls, screamed and then disappeared.
Most unfortunate- all sympathy to the family.
However the construction of a safety rail/s would not have prevented this tradegy. Indeed no rails contribute to part of the attraction of the Falls.
Some good points made here by you, Thinker.
My family visited Guyana about 8 weeks ago and made this excursion to the Keiteur Falls.
On return to the UK they commented how beautiful and breath-taking the falls are however they also added that the absence of guard-rails was eventually going to cause the death of a tourist. So sorry to hear about this tragedy now.
HAVING VISITED NIAGARA FALLS MYSELF, I do agree that substantial parapets and guardrails SPOIL THE BEAUTY OF THE RAW WATERFALL and I hate Niagara for that.
I am sure there must be a sympathetic design which can be imported from other countries who face this problem and have solved it more beautifully than that which I have seen at Niagara.
Time for some research by the Guyana Tourist Authorities because tourist traffic will INCREASE.
you are so right, any thing goes wrong and the ppp is to blame.
There is a reason why there are rails elsewhere, and that very reason is why I don’t go to Kaieteur falls. I certainly don’t find taking unnecessary risks attractive.
Rails: It is possible to erect safety features that serve the purpose and don’t even appear to be there. All it takes is an imaginative engineer and an artist. Preserving natural beauty does not trump the sanctity of human life. And luckily in this case, we don’t HAVE to choose between the two. All the accessible area to this magnificent falls should be secured against such tragedies.
At the moment, there is a pedestrian overpass nearing completion across a highway near where I live. It is secured by a sturdy mesh against carelessness, accidents, and yes, jumpers. A similar feature around the Kaieteur would involve a person having to climb up with difficulty before they could do anything crazy. Human life, people, is sacrosanct. And whether we like it or not, we are all our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
Whatever the reason for this enterprising young woman’s fall, my heart goes out to her bereaved and our beleagered tourism industry.
Bob you should have gone back and donated your time and built some rails rather than sitting on them.
You are too much of a couch potato and Commentator extraordinaire but not a doer it seems.
If this topic is being debated professionally I bet the tour operator would be blamed. Rails may spoil the beauty of the falls but SAFETY is our top priority in every section in life
yawl need to read the article properly b4 you jump to conclusion.
What a tragedy…………..my thoughts are with the family.
I don’t know if it’s me or what. But I don’t understand what Satish is trying to say. It’s either you have some kind of safety mechanism in place ie; guard rails or not. I don’t understand how guard rails is going to affect the scenery of the falls anyway. You mentioned Niagara falls. I viewed Niagara falls a number of times from both the US and Canadian sides with safety mechanism (guard rails)in place and that didn’t affect my view. So Satish, be a little clear as to what message you’re trying to convey. Condolences to the family.
I am sorry you did not understand my comment about sympathetic design, Xpat.
Let me then show you a picture of how use of glass viewing screens at the Grand Canyon observation deck can guarantee safety yet allow open views:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-443560/Grand-Canyon-observation-deck-reaches-dizzying-heights.html
Yes, we can!
Bob when you say grand canyon are you talking about the one in Nevada or freedumb house?
Satish do you think guyana have that kind of money to put up that kind of rail, and i saw it on the science channel when, and how they did it, and the plans by the natives tribes to have it constructed and a african american was the head engineer on that project.
In case of Keiteur Falls, Amen; the massively expensive cantilever structure is unnecessary.
It would just need to be a glass wall built on reinforced concrete base in Keiteur’s case. Think, man! Think!
Why bring the race of the engineer into this?
New location needed to look at this falls…
Couldn’t agree with you more. And I would like to add that the tour operator should be held responsible in part for this terrible tragedy.
Are you saying that even if she KILLED herself the tour operator should be held responsible Xpat ?.
What is the meaning or the legend behind the might Kaiture? It is not just a story – it happened real.
According to the publication…..The young lady at the end of the line …turning back….sprong(GC) makes me become supersticious….strange things do happen in this life….that this child’s life had to end this way….seems to me SHE HAS TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE,I do hope that her body would be discovered very soon. my sympathy to all mourners
In response to POUDEROYEN MAN. I didn’t even get that far as to her killing herself. What I’m simply saying is that this is not the first time these people are conducting this tour and I’m am sure that safety issues was raise before and nothing was done about it.
quotes “Describing the incident as extremely unfortunate, Gouveia said there was need for a re-examination of safety features at the tourist site.”
“There are no safety rails at Kaieteur Falls, unlike several other waterfalls around the world which are tourist sites”.
These statement alone tells the picture…
I guess people do not pay attention to the news in Guyana or are not aware of the state of despair that the most basic things/place in the country is currently in.. – take for instance the zoo and botanical gardens….
I ask the question – if these simplier tasks cannot be maintained, then why would something as major as installing safety rails while maintaining the safety at Kaeiture falls be any different.
What a tragedy…
Gouveia is now thinking about putting the horse before the
cart my friend Dare to Hope. He is now seeing the NEED for examination of visitors safety.
Gerry is one of Guyana’s many businessmen who thinks about bread and butter first.
Very sad for her family.
Needs further investigation.
It is always said that the good die young. Let us hope she is someplace in some bush alive and bruised.
May be this was a suicide, after all she did turn back and headed towards the falls. Still very sad…
It WAS actually reported in another newspapr that the young lady jumped, rather than fell in.