Boy, 12, drowns at Black Bush Polder

A day of fun and frolic ended tragically for a single mother of four in Black Bush Polder, East Berbice- Corentyne when her eldest son, who left home with a friend to celebrate, drowned in a canal located some two streets away from his home.

Dead is Hemraj Ramnauth, 12, of lot 88 Johanna, Black Bush Polder and a student of J.C.Chandisingh Secondary School.

His grieving mother, Sadna Rambarran, told the News Room that she was preparing lunch when her son asked her to go out with his 11-year-old friend to ‘three-bridge’ where people were celebrating Phagwah.

The woman tearfully recalled that before her son left home yesterday he made jokes with her and requested that she cook potato curry and dhal puri for him.

It was that meal that she was preparing when she received the dreadful news. Her 7-year-old son witnessed the entire ordeal.

“He left to go three-bridge with he friend but he little brother (7-year-old) went out to look for he after he gone and he see what happen and he tell me that the friend tell me son to go in the trench with he fuh swim.”

The child told his mother that Ramnauth called out for help and two boys jumped inside the trench to save him but by the time they found him, he had stopped breathing.

Ramnauth was taken to the Mibicuri Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

His mother, who was extremely emotional, described her son as a brilliant child who only started First Form at the J.C.Chandisingh Secondary School in January of this year.

She said her son aspired to become a doctor.

She added that her son regularly attended the mandir and he had indicated to her that he would be going to the mandir later that day.