Quarry employees died from drowning, blunt trauma to head

A post-mortem examination (PME) conducted on Vijai Lallmoni and his son-in-law, Solendra Bhookmohan, whose bodies were recovered in the Essequibo River, found that they both died as a result of drowning compounded by blunt trauma to the head.

Police headquarters on Thursday reported that the PME was conducted on Wednesday by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh. The bodies were later handed over to relatives for burial or cremation.

Director of the Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, Mark Ramotar, told reporters that the Police are still investigating the case to determine whether foul play was involved.

The dead men were both employees of the St Mary’s Quarry, Region Seven. According to reports, at about 19:15 hrs on September 4, they left for Bartica in a wooden boat to purchase goods for their kitchen. The men were later reported missing at the Bartica Police Station.

Then at about 11:20 hrs on September 5, the bodies were found floating in the Essequibo River. It is suspected that they drowned after the boat was involved in an incident.

Lallmoni’s body bore a laceration to his left ear while Bhookman had a laceration to his right foot.