The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has confirmed the death of 50-year-old Gavin Moses and his 13-year-old niece, Yasha Prince, who died as a result of drowning while swimming at the Rockstone Fish Festival at approximately 16:30hrs on Sunday, October 29.
According to a statement from the GTA, based on reports from its officers’ present at the event, Moses along with other relatives hired a private boat to transport them to the Golden Beach, just minutes away from the main event area, to indulge in swimming.
It was during this time that the teenager and two cousins, including Thalia Clarke, experienced difficulty in navigating through the deep waters.
According to the GTA statement, Clarke managed to pull one of the young girls to safety with the assistance of Moses, who came to their rescue. It was noted that he returned to the waters to try and save Prince but went down into the deep waters.
“Prince was later pulled from the waters and resuscitation efforts were made by the medical services present but to no avail. Up to late this Sunday evening, Moses was still missing,” the GTA statement explained.
According to the statement, safety and security of visitors remain a top priority for the Tourism authorities and as such, the Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin along with the GTA will be meeting with the Rockstone Planning Committee on Monday, October 30, to address the circumstances under which the incident occurred and systems to be put in place to avoid a recurrence.