A Werk-en-Rust man is missing after the boat he was in capsized after being hit by another a short distance from the Bartica Stelling on Tuesday night.
The boat’s captain and two passengers sustained minor injuries and have since been hospitalised as a result of the accident.
Missing is Hazrat Alli, 54, of Lot 13 Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust and Stabroek News had learnt that the captain of the other boat has since been taken into custody to help police with their investigations.
Police in a statement last evening said that Omesh Todd, a captain and three passengers, David and Jim Todd (no addresses given) and Alli were leaving Bartica around 19:15 hours travelling in a northerly direction.
The other vessel which was captained by Mark Mushett along with fourteen persons was travelling in the opposite direction en route to Bartica.
As they were about to pass each other, the release said the boat captained by Mushett collided with the right side of the boat captained by Todd. As a result of this the occupants in Todd’s boat were thrown overboard.
According to the police, Omesh, David and Jim Todd were rescued and they suffered minor injuries. Searches are still being conducted for Alli who has not been seen since the incident.
Stabroek News received information yesterday that the missing man is the manager of a fowl farm at Paper Pulp, Essequibo River, about four to five miles from Bartica.
This newspaper was told that the four persons from the capsized boat had visited the community to buy rations.
A source told Stabroek News that around 7 pm the four persons were paddling the small boat they were in, away from the stelling when it was hit head-on by a passenger boat.
The source said that the passenger boat had a full load of nineteen persons on board and was navigating without lights.
“That boat wrong. When you are approaching the stelling you are suppose to slow down. The passenger boat after hitting the small boat reached right up to the stelling and had to turn back to assist the four passengers”, the source said.
According to the source when the boat capsized three persons managed to swim ashore. The missing man Stabroek News was told was never seen after that.
Searches were carried out for the missing man but they yielded nothing. The area was again searched yesterday.
Meanwhile up to yesterday afternoon the captain of the passenger boat `Seabring’ was still in custody at the Bartica Police Station.
