TWENTY-SIX-year-old Safraz Rahim of Perth, Essequibo Coast, Region Two, died on the spot when the minibus he was driving crashed into a concrete culvert before uprooting a dunks tree growing alongside the Maria’s Delight Public Road, also on the Essequibo Coast.It happened at about 22:00 hours on Friday night.

Reports are that Rahim, unlicensed and inexperienced, was driving at a fast rate when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed. The young driver had been working as a conductor on the recently purchased family bus, which is normally driven by his father to ferry passengers from Anna Regina to Charity on a daily basis.

Rahim reportedly took it upon himself to drive the vehicle without his father’s knowledge after his uncle had called him on his cell phone to say he was stranded at Charity and was requesting that Rahim’s father come for him with the bus. Rahim allegedly collected two of his friends — Ricardo Fiedtkou, 19, and Gobin Balkisen, 26 — and headed for Charity unbeknownst to his father.

It is surmised that whilst crossing the concrete bridge at Maria’s Delight at full speed, he lost control of the vehicle, probably after experiencing a sudden bounce, and flew off the Public Road into a nearby drainage canal, slamming into a concrete culvert and uprooting a large dunks tree before plunging into another part of the narrow drainage canal, which is actually dry.

The young men were all reportedly hurled from the bus by the violence of the crash, its loud impact causing residents of the quiet farming community to rush to the public road from their homes. Several public-spirited residents quickly rescued the men. Rahim’s lifeless body was allegedly retrieved from the canal; he had reportedly suffered massive head injuries. Whilst his two friends were picked up and rushed to the Charity Hospital, where they were admitted with minor injuries, Rahim was pronounced dead on arrival at that institution.

Rahim’s devastated family members were inconsolable upon receiving news of his demise.

Several police officers were at the scene of the accident on Saturday morning, carrying out investigations.(Rajendra Prabhulall)