Authorities in Lethem in Region Nine are searching for a woman and a boat captain who went missing after the vessel they were travelling in capsized in the Takutu River, Lethem Central Rupununi on Friday last.
According to the police report, the incident occurred at around 22:30hrs. The missing woman has been identified as 38-year-old Walletta Rigby, a businesswoman of Blueberry Hill, Wismar Linden.
Police said that Rigby and her friend, 48-year-old Shaunette Gonsalves of Beverly Hills, Lethem, Central Rupununi crossed the Takutu River and went to Bonfim, Brazil to purchase Brazilian products on Friday morning.
Later that evening, the women boarded a small wooden boat captained by an unknown Brazilian National to cross the Takutu River. Gonsalves told police that whilst crossing, the boat capsized due to the weight and heavy current flow of the river and they went under.
She reportedly managed to grab onto a nearby tree branch hanging over the water to save herself and when she checked for the boat, she did could not see the boat, its captain or her friend.
Gonsalves was said to have held on to the branch until the next day when she was recused by two men passing in a boat. A report was then made to the Lethem Police Station and a search ensued. According to the police, the current flow of the River is 40 miles per hour. Investigations are ongoing.
