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Fatal Pomeroon River accident…Region Two Chairman may not have to face charges
While the Captain of the Region Two vessel may be charged in connection with the Pomeroon tragedy, no charges will be laid against any of the passengers who were present when the mishap occurred.
Region Two Chairman, Parmanand Persaud
There have been suggestions from some quarters that the Region Two officials, its Chairman, Parmanand Persaud included, should be prosecuted along with the boat Captain for failing to assist the victims.
However, when asked to comment on the issue, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud, during his end of year press conference on Friday last, noted that as far as charges go, “the Regional Chairman, was neither the boat Captain nor was he in charge of the control of the movement of either boats; the Regional Chairman was just a passenger”.
An official from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) later confirmed this, stating that the maritime laws do not apply to the passengers; and Persaud was a passenger of the boat.
“The passengers are not required to know maritime law…No passenger can be guilty of any wrongdoing,” the official said.
The MARAD source also confirmed that the Captain has been suspended from operating any vessel until the investigation is completed.
Six of the seven persons who were onboard the small boat died.
The collision occurred in the vicinity of Siriki/Adam’s Creek in the Pomeroon River around 5:30PM on December 18.
Those who died included- the boat’s captain- 42-year-old Harinarine Bhagwandin; Velda Rodrigues, 50; Vincent Singh, 40; Shawn Anthony, 14- all of Adams Creek; along with 14-year-old Rajkumar Singh, and his 10-year-old sister Amrita Singh, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.
The lone survivor of this vessel was 12-year-old Eli Orlando of Adams Creek.
These were all passengers of a vessel much smaller than the one belonging to the Region Two Administration, on which the Regional Chairman was.
A probe into the accident revealed that the Region Two boat breached a number of collision regulations.
These included failing to maintain a proper look out at all times; failing to proceed at a safe speed so as to take proper and effective action to avoid collision; failing to alter the vessel’s course to starboard and failing to render assistance to the operator and passengers.
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