A TRUCK laden with 300 bags of fertiliser plunged into the Essequibo River from Adventure early yesterday morning.
The Guyana Chronicle learnt that the driver was trying to put the vehicle in position to disembark the m.v. Torani, from Adventure Stelling, on some wooden planks when the incident occurred.
Reports said the lorry with its heavy cargo slipped on the gangway that was secured with a large chain and John Walcott, of Queenstown, also on Essequibo Coast, who was at the wheel, tried, desperately, to put it back on course but the rear wheels kept spinning on the metal floor without moving forward.
As the weight pushed the vehicle towards the river, the chain across the gangway burst and sent the truck careening into the murky waters.
Walcott jumped out his ill-fated seat and escaped a watery grave as the truck quickly went under and a large crowd quickly gathered on the wharf as news of the disaster spread.
The fertiliser was being transported for a private businessman but intended for the current rice crop.