WHAT was supposed to be a warm midday dip for a young couple turned out a nightmare

when the 20-year- old Richard Ramkissoon was swept away by the tides of the mighty Essequibo River on Sunday, April 9.

According to a police source, the young man had gone to Bushy Park, Parika, with his 19-year old girlfriend Bibi Shabanna Hussein at about 12:30hrs for a swim. It was revealed that neither of the two could swim and they both went some distance out and the young lady found herself sinking.

After realising that his girlfriend would drown if help was not rendered, the police source said that the young man went under water and attempted to push her to the surface. However, it was swimmers nearby who rescued her since Ramkissoon was taken away by the tide.

The police said that it was not until Tuesday morning, at about 8:30am that Ramkissoon’s body surfaced within the same vicinity where he had been swept away by the tide.
The young man, who resided at lot 111 Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was said to be a labourer who was born in Venezuela.