PASSENGERS onboard a Parika-bound passenger boat escaped with their lives on Tuesday after the vessel almost sank after hitting an object in the water minutes after arrival.
Reports are that minutes before midday on Tuesday, the boat was preparing to leave Bartica for Parika when maritime officials objected to the captain’s plan to overload the vessel. Reports are that the vessel was delayed for several minutes and departed around midday with 28 persons on board.

According to a passenger‘s account, while the vessel was less than 10 minutes away from Parika, it struck an object and its engines died immediately. “This happen because the captain drove the boat too close to shore,” the passenger surmised. Reports are that following the impact, the boat began to leak as persons panicked.

The captain immediately turned to the river bank even as the boat continued to take in water. Luckily for those on board, the vessel made it to a beach and they were later rescued by two boats which came to their aid from Parika.