JUSTIN Abel, Rayden Abel, Ayshia Abel, Azidia Fraser, Atesha Woolford, Martina Persaud and Shondel Duke all died by drowning in a horrific accident last Friday when the car in which they were travelling ended up in a canal along the Burma Rice Research Institute Road at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara. 

The cause of their deaths was confirmed yesterday following an autopsy performed by a government pathologist.
Last Saturday President Donald Ramotar had assured the relatives of the six children and one school teacher that the post-mortem would have been conducted in a timely manner so that they can move ahead with funeral arrangements.
The families who travelled to identify the bodies before the post-mortems were performed received transportation provided by the Regional administration yesterday morning and were also assisted in moving around to transact other business.
The Guyana Chronicle has confirmed that the entire funeral expenses for the children and the teacher would be covered by the State, as an act of compassion usually extended to persons who suffer tremendously in such unfortunate incidents.
Last Friday afternoon, Shondel Duke, a teacher and her six students from a school in the Burma, Region 5 area were returning to their village from a Mashramani celebration organised by the regional education department when tragedy struck.
Information suggests that the children and teacher were trapped in the car as it ended up in the canal.

By Leroy Smith