As the investigation of the explosion of the passenger boat at the mouth of the Waini River, in the North West District, continues, the captain is now listed among the persons missing and feared dead.
New information reaching Stabroek News revealed that the boat captain has not been accounted for and that the number of persons who were aboard the boat has not been confirmed.
The passengers were en route to Charity, in Region Two from Puerto Ordaz, in Venezuela, when the vessel burst into flames at the mouth of the Waini River, close to Shell Beach in Region One. Five Guyanese and 17 Venezuelans were aboard the boat, police reported.
Apart from the captain, who has not been identified, Carl Archer, a man who is visually impaired is missing and feared dead. A Venezuelan passenger, identified as Antonio Ramon Wells, was found dead on the Shell Beach foreshore.
Maritime Administration (MARAD) Director of Safety Captain John Flores yesterday told Stabroek News that the agency is still investigating the explosion and noted that it has been faced with some difficulties in gathering information.
He explained that the boat is owned by a Guyanese but is registered in Venezuela. He added that the owner of the boat could not have confirmed how many persons were aboard and that the information will need to be accessed from Venezuela. Given the crisis and power outages in Venezuela, Flores said the owner related that such information will be difficult to access.
Meanwhile, Flores said the explosion could have occurred due to a spark from one of the engines. “A little spark can sometimes cause flames to ignite. It is likely that is what happened,” he said when asked the possible cause of the fire.
Flores added that information received from the Coastguards who rendered assistance on Sunday indicated that 14 persons were rescued and taken to the Mabaruma Public Hospital. He noted that, a Venezuelan passenger boat that was also in the vicinity at the time assisted in rescuing the passengers. Passengers who were rescued by the Venezuelan boat were taken over to Venezuela.
An injured Phyllis Archer, 73, the wife of the missing man, had related to the police that she heard a loud explosion and the boat burst into flames. According to the police, passengers began jumping out of the boat while Phyllis remained in the back seat with her husband. As a result of the fire spreading, she sustained burns about her body. She remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital in stable condition.
Not long after, the boat began to sink but she was rescued by responders from the Protected Areas Commission (PAC).
A statement from the PAC said that a “team at Almond Beach responded to a report of a passenger boat on fire, 6 miles east of our Field Station.”
“Our Team was able to rescue a woman, who was still holding on to the boat. They took her to Mabaruma, and on the way made reports to the Police and Coast Guard. The Regional Chairman was contacted to mobilise (an) ambulance, which took her to the hospital,” the statement added.
According to the statement from the PAC, residents of Almond Beach also went to render assistance and rescue the passengers.
The craft was said to be a wooden boat with two 200-horsepower engines.
