Latest update September 11th, 2026 10:26 AM
Rachel Wells, three young children laid to rest
(Kaieteur News) – On Friday, after a tear-jerking ceremony attended by hundreds, Rachel Wells Matabheek and all of her children were laid to rest.
The mother of three was interred alongside eight-year-old Nathaniel Matabheek Jr., seven-year-old Nathalia Matabheek, and three-year-old Ezekiel Matabheek at the Bush Lot Cemetery, West Coast Berbice.
That community supported the family in vast throngs and mourned besides Nathaniel Matabheek Snr, who was wedged between multiple caskets bearing the remains of his immediate family.
Safraz Nathaniel Matabheek struggles to find physical balance as he sits beside the coffin of his wife and children on Friday.
The four caskets bearing Rachel Wells Matabheek and her three children.
Wells was raised in the Northwest District, and reports indicate that she was journeying via the MV Barima to visit her parents, with her children in tow. After three days of search operations, the bodies of the four were discovered.
In a moving moment of grief, her bereaved husband bemoaned the shattering loss, and vented his regret that she decided to travel. He and his brother Adam managed to survive when the vessel sank on Saturday evening, but were unable to locate his wife or their children.
A grief-stricken Nathaniel Matabheek, crying over the caskets of his family
Minister of Education, Sonia Parag offered words of comfort on behalf of the government. She reflected on her familiarity with the family and her visits to the area on official ministerial duties.
The minister urged the community to bear the grieving family up in their most testing period.
“It is something that would be anyone’s worst nightmare. Today, and perhaps for the rest of our lives, we keep them (the families) in our prayers, and we pray that they get the strength and the grace to go day by day,” she admonished.
She was joined by Regional Chairman Recardo Phillips, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Mary Samaroo, Regional Vice-Chairman Kleon Lindey, and government member of parliament Faizal Jafarally.
The death toll from the boat incident currently stands at 72.
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