One body has been recovered and eight are missing following a collision of speedboats in the Mazaruni River yesterday. Late in the evening police ranks at the Bartica Station confirmed that they found one body, identified as Jermaine Calistro, reportedly of Budhoo Housing Scheme, Parika, East Coast Essequibo. Reports reaching the Chronicle said that the two boats, captained by two men, one nicknamed ‘Beast’, and another nicknamed ‘Doobs’, collided head-on, broke up and sank, flinging their passengers every which way into the river.
Over a dozen persons were injured and nine are reported missing.
The craft captained by ‘Beast’ was powered by two 200 hp outboard engines and was seen at the Stampa area heading from Parika  around 11:00 hrs.
The other craft, captained by ‘Doods’, is said to have had about a dozen passengers at the time of the collision. It was powered by two 75 hp outboard engines, and was coming from the Crab Falls area.
A search party headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Isles left the Bartica Police station for the area and up to press time they had not returned.
Regional Health Officer Mrs. Merlene Ferriea told this newspaper that six persons were taken to the hospital and were treated and returned to the police as they continued their investigations.
One of the nine persons missing from the boat ‘Doods’, is said to be Dion Moses, 35, of Norton Street, Georgetown.  

His wife, June Moses, who on learning of the tragedy hastened to Bartica, last night confirmed that he had perished.  June, who was able to make contact with her husband’s boss woman, said the businesswoman told her that she had seen her husband and Dion go down.

Weeping as she spoke with a relative in Georgetown on the phone last night, she recalled that around 14:00 hrs yesterday, she received a phone call from Dion’s boss woman, informing her that he was among 12 persons travelling en route to Bartica when their boat became involved in a collision with another, heading in the opposite direction.

On impact, the boat taking passengers to Bartica was broken in two and the crew went down. They are all missing and feared dead.
Reports say it was raining and very likely there was a problem of visibility on the waterways.

Minister of Communication and Works, Robeson Benn,who is in Region 7 with other officials coordinating the search, said that the Maritime Administration had been mobilised for search and rescue, and began their search before nightfall.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard has been deployed to the areas to aid in the search for the missing persons.
The army said its Air Corps was also “on standby and will be incorporated as is necessary.” The GDF said its involvement was at the request of Minister Benn.

Around 22:00hrs the search was called off for the night and will continue early this  morning, Sergeant Hardy said.

Yesterday’s accident comes a little over a month after six people died in another collision between two boats on the Pomeroon River.