A DAY of fun with friends at St Cuthbert’s Mission Heritage celebrations on Sunday turned tragic when a Good Hope, East Coast Demerara resident drowned.Dead is Davindra Tiwari, called “Orvin”, of Lot 137 X, Good Hope, East Coast Demerara. The incident reportedly occurred at about 15:30 hrs.

According to C Division police, the 23-year-old and three friends — two males and a female — were in the Mahaica River in waist-deep water, pelting pebbles at each other when Tiwari reportedly slipped into the deep part of the channel and was pulled down by the strong current.

It was reported that before the group could reach him, he went down and was later fished out of the river.

Tiwari had been a spray painter attached to a body work shop located in his village, and would have celebrated his 24th birthday in a few days’ time.

His father, Mahindra Tiwari, told the Guyana Chronicle that he did not know his son had gone to St Cuthbert’s Mission with friends in a rented car, when he is the owner of two cars.

The elder Tiwari related that he learnt of his son’s demise from his girlfriend, who visited the Tiwari home to break the devastating news on Sunday. The girlfriend related that Davindra’s friends telephoned her and related the sad news.

A post-mortem conducted on the body revealed that Davindra died from asphyxiation due to drowning.

He was the second child of two siblings, and could not swim, his father said. The young man will be cremated on Friday.

The friends who were with him have since given a statement to the police, and are cooperating with the investigation.