A search is ongoing for 38-year-old Walettta Rigby of Blueberry Hill, Wismar Linden, who disappeared in the Takatu River in Lethem, Region Nine, after the boat she was in capsized on Friday last.

Police Headquarters, in a statement, noted that Rigby and her friend, Shaunette Gonsalves, 48, of Beverly Hills, Lethem, left Guyana on June 18, 2021 around 05:30hrs to purchase Brazilian products.

On the same night, at approximately 22:30 hrs, the women entered a small wooden boat on Brazilian shores, captained by an unknown Brazilian, to cross the Takatu River.

Gonsalves reported to the police that while they were crossing the river, the boat capsized due to its weight and the heavy current flow of the river, which caused the occupants to be submerged. Gonsalves further told the police that she managed to hold on to a nearby tree branch that was hanging over the water, however, upon checking, she did not notice the boat, the captain nor her friend, Rigby.

At approximately 6:00 hrs on Saturday last, while she was still holding on to the tree branch, Gonsalves noticed two unknown male Amerindians passing in a boat; she raised an alarm and was rescued by the said men. She later appeared at the Lethem Police Station to file a report of the incident.

Police said they carried out a search between 11:00 hrs and 14:30 hrs on Saturday in the vicinity where the boat allegedly capsized, however, neither Rigby nor the captain was found.

Up to press time, police reported that the current flow of the water was moving at a speed of 40 mph, in the eastern direction. Investigations are ongoing.