Up to press time, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) team was still trying to locate the missing body of pork-knocker Rennie Michael Lesile, which was lost after it was retrieved from the Kaieteur gorge on Monday.

The army said at 13:30h on Monday, a GDF team comprising two officers and 12 soldiers recovered the body of missing gold miner, Michael Leslie, at the bottom of the Kaieteur gorge.

However, where the body was located in the gorge it was not possible to rope it to the top of the Kaieteur Falls. The recovery team placed the body in a bag, wrapped it in a tarpaulin, and proceeded to transport it via stretcher to Tukeit – a three and a half hour trek, the GDF said.

The army said the team was forced to cross a rapid about two hours from Tukeit and while traversing the rapid, the leg of one of the soldiers became entangled in the rope and both he and the body of the deceased were dragged towards the treacherous rapids.

In order to save the soldier, a decision was taken by the team members to sever the rope and the miner’s remains were swept further into the rapids and disappeared. The soldier was rescued and thereafter several searches were conducted up until nightfall to locate the missing body, the GDF reported.

The search resumed yesterday morning and continued throughout the day, but the body has not yet been found. Additional searches will be conducted tomorrow and these will include civilians who have knowledge of the area.

Meanwhile, members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be travelling upriver from Mahdia in the event that the body floats past Tukeit.

The brother of the dead miner, Mr. Courtney Perry, is involved in the search efforts.

Rennie Michael Lesile, 36, of 328 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was last seen on November 29, 2009 in the Potaro area in a canoe on his way to his mining camp.

He was reportedly encountered difficulties and it is believed he may have drowned although he was a relatively good swimmer and his body was spotted at the bottom of the Kaieteur Falls.