A miner is fear dead following a mishap that occurred at Pepper Hill River Front, Cuyuni River, in Region Seven on Wednesday morning.
He is 28-year-old Yannick Janniere, also called Kayzim, of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara.
Based on information received, Janniere and several other workers were loading a dredge and other equipment belonging to their employer onto a pontoon for transportation to another landing.
However, as the men were finished loading the equipment onto the pontoon and were ready to journey to the other location, the boat that was attached to the pontoon became loose and the pontoon began to drift downstream.
Janniere reportedly jumped from the pontoon into the rough waters of the Cuyuni river and began swimming towards the drifting boat. He swam for about 200 metres before he disappeared under the water. His fellow workers raised an alarm, and some even jumped into the river in a bid to rescue him, but he has not since been seen.
The incident has been reported at the Bartica Police Station, and up to late Wednesday afternoon, divers searching for Janniere’s body have been coming up empty-handed. The search was expected to recommence this morning.
