Passengers travelling in a speedboat to Bartica were stranded on the Essequibo river for a short while yesterday after the boat encountered engine trouble.
Magistrate Nyasha Williams-Hatmin, who was sitting at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court, was also on the boat which resulted in court being delayed. It was reported that the magistrate had an armed escort for her visit to Bartica.
Reports on the incident stated that the boat was drifting at around two miles per hour in the river after the engine failed, but a passenger told this newspaper there was no cause for alarm.
Two crew members onboard managed to get the engine going again, but the boat continued on at a snail’s pace for about an hour. Subsequent to this, another boat showed up rescued six passengers while a boat called The First Lady rescued the remaining ten passengers shortly after.
Stabroek News was informed that Guyana Energy Agency prosecutor Gino Persaud was also among the passengers. When contacted he confirmed the incident, pointing out that the boat was about halfway to Bartica when the engine failed. He added that it had left Parika around 7 pm.
Persaud said the passengers were never in danger because the water was calm and “everyone was also calm”. He said the incident was a nuisance to some, but “quite an experience to me in response to an otherwise dull morning”.
