Twenty-one persons were rescued from a sinking vessel in the Essequibo River yesterday morning, after the boat began taking in water.
The boat was in the vicinity of Hog Island when the passengers and the captain were alerted to water seeping into the boat.
Commander of ‘G’ Division, Stephen Mansell said, “Yes it is true a boat was taking in water at Hog Island. It was travelling from Supenaam, en route to Parika.”
According to Maritime Safety Officer James Ralph, the incident occurred at around 10.45 am yesterday morning. He explained that the boat began to take in water due to the fact that a piece of cotton was missing.
“Water was getting in the boat because there no cotton between two of the boards on the bottom of the boat,” he said, disclosing that the boat was removed from the river, and taken to a dock yard for repairs.
Ralph further explained that the Captain Fidel Gibbons had to keep the boat afloat, and “reduce the speed” until they were rescued.
“What happened is that he (the captain) had to keep the boat flat, because when it is was moving the front was elevated but the area where the cotton was removed, was at the back around the fourth seat, and water was getting in,” Ralph explained.
He went on to say that all the passengers along with the captain and the bowman were rescued by another boat.
Efforts made to contact the captain of the boat proved futile, as calls to his cell phone went unanswered.
