A Bartica family remains in distress as the body of boat captain, Claude Pollard, 55, is yet to be recovered three days after his boat collided with a marine ambulance on the Essequibo River.
According to police reports, Pollard, who was heading to Parika, East Bank Essequibo, reportedly collided with a marine ambulance attached to the Bartica Public Hospital and captained by Bernard Singh, 59. The ambulance was heading to Bartica when the accident occurred at around 19:15h on Saturday last.
Following the collision, which occurred in the vicinity of Stampa Point, Pollard fell overboard, and since then, his body has not been recovered. The News Room understands that there were seven passengers on board with Pollard, including his daughter and son.
When contacted, Regional Commander, Superintendent Deon Moore told the News Room that the passengers who received multiple injures were discharged from the hospital. He noted that the search continues for Pollard.
“As of yesterday, around 16:00h a search was carried out but it was unsuccessful. However, the search for Pollard will continue,” Moore said.
Meanwhile, the family of Pollard remain in shock over the incident. One of his nieces, Manava James, told the News Room: “It’s kinda hard because most of us gotta put off work just to go and look for him.”
His family, who reside in Georgetown, finds it difficult to travel from Georgetown to Bartica daily to assist in the search.
