A POST-MORTEM performed on the bodies of the four family members who perished on Monday evening in the river at Philadelphia on the East Bank of Essequibo confirmed that they all died by drowning.Initially, however, some relatives were a bit apprehensive about what may have happened on Monday that could have caused the deaths of Billy Narine, 12, Annapina

Persaud, 9, of lot 2404 Onderneeming, Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, and their aunt and cousin Radika Persaud, 53, and Ravin Persaud, 15, of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.Family members up to late yesterday could not confirm the funeral arrangements. This publication was informed that the two younger children who perished on Monday were regular visitors of a Christian church, and would accompany their aunt to the riverside whenever she was going to perform the Hindu religious function.

On Monday, the family was plunged into grief when the bodies of the four were fished out of the Atlantic Ocean hours after Radika and her son went to make offerings as part of a one-year ceremony for the death of another relative.
Other relatives became suspicious and went in search of them after they seemed to be spending an unusually long time at the riverside. However, they were no where in sight and only their clothing and a bucket were found about one mile away.
“We keep calling for them and get no answer and we want to know if anyone hit them or do them anything and suddenly I see the mother and grandmother coming, saying that they found the bucket till back that side going closer to Parika and I said you know what happen there, somebody drowned,” Dularie Bhigman, a sister-in-law of the dead woman recounted on Tuesday to the Guyana Chronicle.
This newspaper was also informed that the search for the missing persons commenced at approximately 18.30hrs and the fourth body was pulled from the river at approximately 22.30hrs, even as persons lamented the lengthy period they were forced to await the arrival of the hearse from the funeral parlor to take the bodies away.
Relatives explained that the tragedy has been a massive blow as there are now six persons who have perished in the family within one year.