Two feared dead in Takatu River mishap

Jun 22, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – The search is on for two persons who are now feared dead following a boat mishap in the Takatu River in Region Nine on Friday.
According to a police report, cops are investigating the disappearance of 38-year-old, Walleta Rigby, a businesswoman of Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden, and an unknown Brazilian national after they went down in the Takatu River when a small wooden boat in which they were travelling in, was involved in a mishap.
Around 05:30hrs. on the day in question, the businesswoman along with her female friend, who has been identified as Shaunette Gonsalves of Lethem, Central Rupununi, had crossed the Takatu Bridge and went to Bonfim, Brazil, to purchase Brazilian products.
After making their purchases, the two women then boarded a small wooden boat, which was being captained by the missing Brazilian national, off the coast of Brazil, and they began crossing the Takatu River.
Whilst crossing the Takatu River heading to Guyana’s shore, the boat capsized, reportedly due to the weight and heavy current flow, causing Rigby and the captain to go underwater.
The report further stated that Gonsalves managed to grab onto a nearby tree branch that was hanging over the water and upon checking, she did not notice the boat, the captain or Rigby.
Additionally, on Saturday at about 06:00hrs, while Gonsalves was still hanging onto the said branch, she noticed two unknown men passing in a boat and she raised an alarm and was rescued by them. She then went to the Lethem Police Station and made a report of the incident.
Kaieteur News understands that police had carried out searches at 11:00hrs. and 14:30hrs. on Saturday in the vicinity of where the boat had capsized in the Takatu River but Rigby and the captain were not found, since, according to police, the current flow of the water was moving at a speed of 40 miles per hour (mph) in the eastern direction. According to police too, further checks are being made as the investigation continues.

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