RESCUERS, late Wednesday afternoon, recovered the body of missing farmer, Ryan Khayum, from the Pomeroon River.

Khayum and three others were flung from a ‘goods’ boat after a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) vessel crashed into its stern on Monday night in the vicinity of Martindale along the Pomeroon River. The young man and his wife, Chandanie, and two other men, who are said to be his cousins, were in the vessel around 21:00hrs on Monday night when the GDF Coastguard vessel crashed into them.

The GDF, in a statement, said that the vessel, GDFS HAWK 1028, which had four ranks on board, was returning from Charity to the Floating Base along the Pomeroon River when it collided with the one in which the civilians were travelling.

Khayum’s wife is hospitalised at Charity with head injuries, while the two injured men were discharged on Tuesday. The Khayums would usually carry their ‘goods’ to Charity to sell to buyers who would ship those items, such as vegetables and coconuts, to the capital for resale.

The Khayums left Charity in their ‘goods’ boat, which was powered by a small 15hp engine, for their home on Monday evening, sometime after nightfall. Reports are that the GDF ranks from the Floating Base are in the habit of travelling to Charity on Monday nights to party, and would hurriedly leave the area for their base, minus lights on their boat. The injured men related that as they passed Martindale, they heard the GDF vessel in the distance but saw no lights. They related that the vessel rammed the stern of their vessel, pitching Ryan and his wife into the water.

Reports are that the ranks attempted to escape from the scene, as they were unaware that the couple was not the only occupants of the small vessel. Chandanie Khayum related to her family members that she felt someone trying to push her downwards into the water. She related that the person then left her in the water, while her husband called out for the others to help her. The injured woman and the two other men were taken to Charity in a civilian vessel, and later rushed to the hospital. At Charity, residents noted that the soldiers appeared heavily intoxicated, causing persons to immediately become concerned. They related that it was the third night-time accident on the Pomeroon waterway involving the GDF vessel. The GDF said, on Monday night, that it has launched an inquiry into the accident.