Labourer, 19, drowns near Rockstone
- after Toolsie Persaud boat sinks
By Iana Seales
Stabroek News, Tuesday, November 13th 2007
Rabrindranauth Inshanally in younger days.
A boat, transporting goods and staff attached to Toolsie Persaud Ltd's
(TPL) Anarika location, sank in the Essequibo River early Diwali
morning resulting in the death of a 19-year-old man.
Rabrindranauth Inshanally of Lot 405 Diamond New Scheme, East Bank
Demerara, separated from a group of five when the boat went under and
was missing for two days. His body was found on Sunday near the river
bank a short distance away from his work site.
Reports are that the boat began taking in water between Anarika and
Rockstone on the Essequibo River. Because of its excess weight, the
boat was quickly submerged.
The cargo was lost and the passengers floundered, as there were no
lifejackets on the boat.
Inshanally's colleagues told his relatives that they all grabbed onto
items from the boat to stay afloat in the water. However, a few minutes
later, they heard Inshanally screaming that the barrel he was holding
onto was too slippery.
When Stabroek News contacted TPL yesterday, the Managing Director and
Human Resources Manager both said the incident fell under the company's
Interior Location Section and directed all queries to that manager,
Avinash Persaud. There was no response to telephone calls and messages
left at his office yesterday.
Recounting details of the incident as they were relayed to her, Shamin
Inshanally, the young man's mother told Stabroek News that her son lost
his grip of the barrel and started drifting away from the group. She
said no one could help him so he drifted further away, out of sight and
hearing.
She said they were travelling in a small boat with an engine, which
belongs to the company and would take employees to the interior
location after they would have travelled to Linden. She said that
according to the information she received, the boat usually only
transported people and cargo was ferried in on a pontoon. However, for
some reason, she said, the boat her son was in was carrying goods.
"I get to hear that goods don't travel with people but that boat with
my son had rice and all kinds of bag so the water started to get in.
Then it duck and my son try to stay above water but he couldn't make
it," the woman related.
Shortly after the boat sank, she said, a passing fishing boat rescued
the other persons in the river and the rescuers briefly looked for her
son but were unsuccessful in locating him. The rescue boat transported
the others to TPL's site at Anarika where the accident was reported and
news was conveyed that Inshanally had separated from the group.
A relative who travelled to Anarika to search for the missing man on
Sunday told this newspaper that persons on duty at the worksite
declined to go out with the company's boats and mount a search for him
in the river because the person in charge was not there to grant
permission. He said the company had a few boats which could have been
used but since permission was an issue no one went out.
He said a few persons in the area who had boats searched for the
missing man on Saturday but there was no sign of him anywhere. On
Sunday, when relatives journeyed to the area, he said, a search team
from TPL met them on the river and told them Inshanally's body had been
found.
The man expressed concern that since Inshanally disappeared on Diwali
morning no search boats went out for him from the company. He said too
that they were still trying to ascertain why no lifejackets were on the
boat. According to him, residents in the area reported that a
16-year-old was acting as boat captain. He said the boy was not
licensed, based on what the people said, and should not have been
driving the boat.
He added that the family would also like an answer in relation to why
the goods were being transported along with the people. He said this
was not the regular practice and it proved extremely dangerous
resulting in Inshanally's death.
Shamin Inshanally told Stabroek News that her son had only returned
home on Wednesday and spent a brief period home, leaving for Anarika on
Thursday. The woman said after she received a call on Friday last about
the accident she telephoned TPL and asked for a confirmation in
addition to any other information the company had at the time.
She said someone at the company took her telephone number and promised
to return a call before the day was out. The person never called her.
"My son work with them for a few months yes, but that is no way to
treat someone. I ain't hear from them yet but after I bury my son, they
will hear from me," the woman said. She told Stabroek News that her
eldest boy also works with TPL.
He was on location at Anarika when the incident occurred and left
immediately on learning of the incident. He returned to the city after
his brother was found.
Rabrindranauth was the second of four sons. The mother said he was a
sweet young man who took up the job to join his older brother who has
been with the company for some two years.
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