UPDATE: Drowning claims lives of two young girls at Enchanter Creek

Tragedy unfolded Sunday afternoon as two young girls, Akira La Rose, 10, and Joylyn Jack, 11, drowned while celebrating a birthday at Enchanter Creek along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.

According to the official statement from the Guyana Police Force, the incident occurred around 3:30 hrs.

Akira of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, and Joylyn, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, were at the creek with family members, including their grandmother, 53-year-old Allison Klass, and Joylyn’s father, Oswald Jack.

The gathering was intended to celebrate Akira’s birthday.

Eyewitnesses say the two girls were playing in the water when they suddenly went missing. A search was promptly initiated, and a search party was organized by family and local authorities. Tragically, the girls were discovered unresponsive in the water.

Emergency services, including police officers and civilians, transported the children to the Diamond Diagnostics Centre. Despite efforts to revive them, both were pronounced dead.

Preliminary examinations by the police revealed no signs of violence. The bodies have been sent to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.