Latest update August 12th, 2026 10:20 AM
Latest News
- After 10 days of silence, Govt. confirms Guyana receiving 50% profit share
- Guyana must get more than 50% if country’s profits will be funding new oil projects – MP Andrews
- MV Barima tragedy… Internal records expose months of warnings, request for urgent repairs
- Colombia quake death toll tops 250 as rescuers race to find survivors
- Caribbean judiciaries rally behind CCJ as internal row erupts
Man killed after Oldendorff tug slams into moored boat in Berbice River
…one arrested
A 42- year- old man was killed at De Veldt, up the Berbice River, some time after 04:30 hrs Saturday
Dead: Andre Thompson
when a tug belonging to Oldendorff Shipping Company ran over the boat in which he was sleeping.
The body of Andre Thompson of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice, was discovered around 11:00 hrs Saturday by family members “under the bushes in the water”.
Kaieteur News caught up with the man’s family at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary late Saturday afternoon. His wife and children were inconsolable and could not speak to the media.
However, according to his sister-in-law, Portia Thompson, persons in the De Veldt area and witnesses related to her that he was sleeping on his boat which was moored at the corner of the riverbank. De Veldt is located more than 50 miles up the Berbice River.
Thompson was employed with Richard Lepse as a grocer in Aroaima and De Veldt. He was sleeping on the launch when the tug hit it. It seemed that he jumped out of the launch to save his life but he got pinned down.
His sister-in-law added, “Like maybe he was asleep and when he heard the noise. He must have tried to escape but he did not succeed”. She added that the people and eyewitnesses who were present during the time were able to signal the occupants of the tug that it had hit someone and it [the tug) stopped.
The man’s wife, Sandy Thompson, was informed of her husband’s mishap by her brother-in-law, Lepse.
Thompson noted that the captain of the tug was Hugh La Goudoue and the mate was G. Conway. Conway has since been arrested by the police who arrived on the scene early yesterday morning.
Portia related that Oldendorff has not issued a statement on the matter but police have started their investigations.
The man’s body was removed and brought to the New Amsterdam Hospital mortuary.
The family wants justice. They said that this is the second time something like that has happened. The dead man’s niece, Ophelia Bender, said, “We need justice because this is the second time it has happened…they hit the tug…They had to jump for their lives, but this time it hit the tug and he jumped and he didn’t succeed”.
Thompson's daughter, Demolly, and his wife very emotional at the N/A Hospital Mortuary on Saturday
“We need justice–Is the company– He was moored, and he wasn’t like driving on the wrong side of the river. What were they doing way down in the corner there? This cannot be swept under the rug like this– and the police should not take pay off; they should do their jobs also”
Thompson leaves to mourn his wife and three children: Deon, 20; Denesha, 17 and Demolly, 13.
Share this:
Discover more from Kaieteur News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.