THREE bodies were recovered by a search party of police, relatives and friends after four persons went missing in Saturday’s Cuyuni River mishap when their boat sank in the Matouk Falls.

The bodies recovered so far are those of Clive “Bazo” Welcome of First Avenue, Bartica, Walter Patoir of New Amsterdam, and Junior ‘Wiggley’ Bandhu, known as Shawn Robinson, of Cumberland.
Yesterday morning the families of the three drowned men were at Lyken’s Funeral Home to identify the bodies after they were brought to the city from Bartica.
At Lyken’s Funeral Home, owner of the sunken vessel, Severn Williams, the brother of Clive Welcome, told the Guyana Chronicle that it was only God’s grace which could have helped his brother and the others to survive this tragedy.
He noted that the water in the river at the falls at this time was very high and the rough current from the rains added to the high waters, so one can never get a regular path in crossing this area.
Unfortunately for his family, he lamented, “We have lost our young brother and all we ask is the support from our family and friends to help our mother to be strong at this time.”
He said that his brother was always willing, honest and ready to support any venture he was entering.
“I have lost a good soldier, friend and brother,” he said. He said further that “it seems like he was holding on to something for a very long time after being driven by the rough waters and had received a number of injuries to his head.”
He said on Saturday during the search he saw the Guyana Defence Force helicopter assisting in the search while he was in the area but it did not come close to where they were but he and others tried to signal the helicopter pilot.
“Had we made contact we might have recovered the bodies then.”
Junior Bandhu’s wife was inconsolable as she held on to another relative for support after seeing her husband’s decomposed body for the first time. She said that the news of the accident had struck her since she had spoken to Bandhu late the night before.
“He called me and asked for the children. He asked for them and how they doing. He said he miss us and he gon come home tomorrow…that he love me,” Bandhu’s wife said. “Watch ma husband, watch ma husband. Look how he deh.”
She related that around midday on Saturday she had received a call, a call that changed everything. She was told that the boat her husband was in had gotten into an accident and he was missing, along with three other persons. “I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it. I spoke to him the night before,” she added tearfully.
She said that since that night she held on to the hope that he was safe because he was a good swimmer. But that hope was shattered when she received a second call yesterday saying that they had found her husband but he was dead.
“I talk to the driver (captain) of the boat and he tell me that the morning they de coming out and my husband like he see something wrong and shout and tell them to put on their lifejackets. But like it de too late. The drivers tell me that after that he ain’t know what happen.”
Bandhu, 35, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, leaves to mourn his wife and two children.
The boat captain, Junior Lyte, 19, of Batavia, Cuyuni, and two passengers David Prass, 26, of New Amsterdam and Morris Hopkinson of Second Avenue, Bartica managed to make it to shore after the boat, ‘Black Angel’, capsized at Matouk Falls.
Lyte is assisting representatives of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the police in the investigations.
Last January 11 persons drowned in the Mazaruni River near Crab Falls after two boats collided and the captains were placed before the court.