Cuyuni tragedy: Body of 5-year-old recovered

The body of five-year-old Beesham Munilall, who went missing on Monday after the boat in which he was travelling crashed into a rock in the vicinity of the Dukwarri River, Cuyuni, has been recovered.

The child, who lived with his father Beesham Munilall Snr, mother and six-year-old sister at the Venezuelan border was reportedly with his father when the accident occurred. The father, according to reports was devastated by the unfortunate news.

Jane Babulall, the grandmother of the dead child when contacted on Wednesday morning told Guyana Times International that she received a telephone call from her son about 07:00h, informing her that the lad’s body has been recovered.

She added that the body has been taken to the Bartica Hospital and was subsequently moved to the Lyken’s Funeral Home. While the woman is aware of the accident, she is not too certain what occurred on the day.

“I got a call from someone telling me that my grandson missing after a boat collided with a rock… I don’t know where they were going… but meh son cannot take it.”

The distraught woman added that her son made one telephone call to her and he was brief. “All he said was mom he missing… he dead,” she said, in a faint voice.

She said that her son would move around in the region to look for work and might have been doing so when the accident occurred.

Her son, she added, lives at the Venezuelan border with his family and hardly comes out to visit her, but she would hear from them from time to time.

According to a release from the Guyana Police Force, Munilall, five, and Jose Henriqu Salvao De Souza, 66, of Junior Rose Landing were passengers “on a boat travelling along a river at Dukwarri, Cuyuni when the vessel struck a rock and several passengers were thrown overboard”.

Many of the passengers managed to make their way back to the safety of the boat except for the five-year-old and the Brazilian national. A search party was established which led to the discovery of the Brazilian national, but up to late Tuesday afternoon, there were no signs of Munilall.

Earlier in the month, Leon D’Aguiar, 20, of Mahaica Village, East Bank Demerara and Junior Williams, 19, formerly of 1275 Spurwing Place, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown and Lot 31 Broad Street, Georgetown met their demise after falling into a creek at Aranka Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven.

It was reported that the men were crossing a creek in Aranka Backdam when D’Aguiar reportedly slipped into the water and Williams attempted to rescue him, but was pulled overboard.

D’Aguiar, according to reports was not a good swimmer; hence, his friend went to save him. After the incident, several search parties were formed, and their bodies were recovered a short distance away from each other two days after.