HIS Excellency President Donald Ramotar met yesterday afternoon with relatives of the six children and one teacher from the Augsburg Primary School who perished in an accident along the Burma Road when the car in which they were travelling ended up in a canal.
The teacher and six students of the Augsburg Primary School died by apparent drowning on Friday afternoon after the vehicle they were travelling in ended up in a canal along the Burma Road.
Those who perished are: Grade 3 student Justin Abel, eight years old; Grade 2 student Rayden Abel, seven years old; Grade 5 student Ayshia Abel, ten years old (all from the same family); Grade 1 student Azidia Fraser, six years old; Grade 5 student Atesha Woolford, ten years old; Grade 2 student Martina Persaud, eight years old; and their teacher, Shondel Duke, 41 years old, all of Mahaicony.
The President was accompanied in his visit to the Mahaicony area yesterday by Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Transport Minister Robeson Benn, and several regional officials.
During his visit, the President, was seemingly ‘lost for words’ when comforting the grieving members of the affected families.
President Ramotar said the devastating incident was a real tragedy that would leave any family or community affected and in a state of shock. The Guyanese Head of State also made certain commitments to the relatives of the deceased.
Minister Manickchand, who was at the Mahaicony Hospital on Friday evening consoling relatives, met with them again yesterday as she outlined the approach the Ministry of Education would be taking to assist the relatives.
Transport Minister Robeson Benn also promised that the Burma Road, which is presently under repair, will be completed shortly. He also expressed his condolences to the relatives of those who were killed.
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition, Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger, also visited surviving relatives of the deceased and offered his condolences.
Like President Ramotar, Mr Granger and his team visited each home affected and sought to bring some amount of comfort to those living there. Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green accompanied Granger to the area yesterday.
By Leroy Smith
