“I am very sorry for what happened” – boat captain

By Indrawattie Natram

Weeks after the boat collision in the Pomeroon River which claimed the lives of six people, the captain of the Region Two administration boat, “Buddy” Ramdhin has finally broken his silence on the tragic incident. He said he was sorry for what occurred, contending that he tried to avoid the accident.
Last week, Transport Minister Robeson Benn told the National Assembly that the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has submitted a report to acting Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell recommending that criminal charges be filed for a number of breaches.
The recommendations were made after MARAD found that several breaches in operational standards occurred during the accident. On December 18, six persons met their demise after two passenger boats collided in the middle of the Pomeroon River, at 17:00h. The boats collided in the vicinity of Siriki, Upper Pomeroon River. Six occupants of the boat captained by Harrinarine Bhagwandin, 42, of Abrams Creek, Upper Pomeroon River, lost their lives, while Eli Orlando, 12, of Abrams Creek, suffered injuries. Those confirmed dead were Bhagwandin; Velda Rodrigues, 50, of Abrams Creek; Shawn Anthony, 14, of Abrams Creek; Rajkumar Singh, 14, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast; his sister Amerita Singh, 10; and his uncle Vincent Singh, 40, of Abrams Creek.
On the right side
Meanwhile, during an interview with this newspaper last week, the 58-year-old captain of Dredge Creek, Pomeroon, said that he was on the right side of the Pomeroon River when the collision occurred. He is still shaken from the incident and the vision of a boat coming towards him is engraved in his mind, an image he wants out of his head.
The captain has been plying the waterways for the past 40 years and has never caused an accident, moreso being held partly responsible for the death of six persons.  To date, Ramdhin still cannot believe what had transpired on December 18, 2012.
He told Guyana Times International that the ordeal is one that he will never forget.  Ramdhin stated that on the day of the unfortunate incident, he was returning with 12 passengers from St Monica, an Amerindian community while captaining the Region Two’s administration boat powered by a 200hp outboard engine.
Ramdhin stated that while driving on the right side of the wide river heading to Charity, a shower came down and he ordered the passengers to use the covers to avoid getting wet.  Reminiscing on the incident, he said the rain poured heavily, but he kept his eyes on the river top and he saw another boat travelling in his direction.
The captain said the boat was approximately 10 minutes away coming in his direction and he maintained his path. He said at that time he had to make a decision, but before he did, the  other boat was already in front of him.  It swerved in front of him, ending up into the bushes.  Soon after, he added that his boat started to take on water due to the impact of the collision.
Shaken up
Ramdhin said he was shaken but had to keep a strong head since the 12 passengers were panicking. He said at that point, he made a decision to drive his damaged boat to a location and offload the passengers.  He along with Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, who was a passenger of the boat, went back to the accident scene which was about five minutes away to offer assistance to the injured passengers of the other boat.
Trying to hold back his tears, Ramdhin said when he arrived, two other boats were already at the scene, and he was told that eight persons had died.  The rescue team, he said, advised him to take his passengers to Charity and seek medical attention if needed. After doing so, he related that he was too shaken and traumatised to head back into the water.
Another captain took the police to the accident scene, and Ramdhin claimed that he did not even realise he had gone to the police station to lodge a report.   Following the police visit, he was subsequently taken into police custody and spent three days at the Charity Police Station.
The visibly shaken captain said he was later released on station bail. He said that he lost family members as a result of the accident, noting that the question still lingers in his mind as to what really went wrong on that evening.  Ramdhin plans to take a break from his work, claiming he is psychologically affected.