Five rescued from sinking cargo vessel

The Coast Guard on Thursday rescued five men hours after the cargo vessel they were in began sinking.

In a statement, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) said the incident occurred approximately 5.2 nautical miles off Leonora, West Coast of Demerara.

The men were onboard cargo vessel AMAYA which was ladened with cement and stone.

According to the GDF, the vessel was grounded on a sandbank from around 22:30hrs Wednesday.

Around 04:00hrs the following morning, GDF said as the crew was awaiting high tide to depart, rough water conditions caused the vessel to begin taking in water.

This prompted the crew to seek assistance.

Around 06:30hrs, the GDF coast guard responded and successfully rescued the five men.

“The Coast Guard responded and upon arrival, it was observed that the vessel was sinking,” GDF said in the statement.

The men were safely extracted and transported to Coast Guard Headquarters.