Lethem residents die after pickup crashes into parked truck on Soesdyke-Linden Highway

Two men have died and another is hospitalised following an accident that occurred just after midnight on Wednesday along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway in the vicinity of Loo Creek.

The crash involved a parked motor lorry, bearing registration number GAH 5391, and a motor pickup, PAE 6499. The pickup was being driven by 54-year-old Da Tai Lei, a Chinese national from Lethem, Rupununi, with passengers Wen Wu Lei, a 41-year-old Chinese national, and 87-year-old Edward Singh, also from Lethem.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the lorry, driven by 31-year-old Liston Marcus of Ruimveldt, Georgetown, had allegedly developed mechanical issues and was left unattended on the western side of the highway around 22:50hrs.

The truck was reportedly parked without any reflectors or warning devices to alert oncoming traffic.

At approximately midnight, the pickup, travelling north at a high speed in the same lane, slammed into the rear of the stationary lorry.

All three occupants of the pickup sustained injuries and were pulled from the wreckage by police officers and public-spirited citizens. They were rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex, where Da Tai Lei and Edward Singh were pronounced dead on arrival. Wen Wu Lei remains hospitalised in serious condition.

Meanwhile, the lorry driver is currently in police custody assisting with the investigation.