Backtrack tragedy: Missing woman family wants closure

A New Amsterdam Berbice family is hoping to get closure. It has been almost two weeks since their loved one, 48 year- old Sharida Hussein is missing.

Hussein was part of a group of three persons who were dropped off on a sandbank located several miles in the Corentyne River.

Reports are that the speed boar operator mistook the sandbank for the bank of the river.

The group travelled to Guyana from neighbouring Suriname through a popular, yet unregulated route, referred to as “backtrack.”

While the bodies of 75 year old Baboni Harihar of number 2 village East Canje Berbice and Alvin Joseph of number 65 village on the Corentyne bodies were recovered,  Hussein’s is hoping to find her remains soon in order to get closure and move forward with their lives.

Her son Joshua Samaroo told Big Smith News Watch that the family’s search for his mother’s body has been suspended.

The family would have searched the river bank extensively as family members from both Guyana and Suriname were involved, but came up empty handed.

“We tried and we there is nothing more we can do but we are trying to get the body for closure and to know what’s going on but now everybody is just left wondering,” Samaroo said.

Meanwhile, Regional Commander Jairam Ramlakhan said that the police are continuing their search but so far nothing has been found.

He noted that the authorities in Suriname are expected in Guyana on Sunday to visit the site where three passengers were dropped off as part of their investigations.

The police in Berbice are working closely with their Suriname counterparts to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two Guyanese as well as the missing woman.

Authorities in Suriname have since confirmed that three persons have been detained in connection with the horrific incident including the captain of the vessel, a taxi driver and another male.

However, the captain has since admitted to leaving the three passengers on a sandbank but had no idea it was several feet away from shore.

He also informed investigators that he returned to the location to make checks after he was told that the passengers had not arrived but there were no signs of them so he left.

According to Ramlakhan, the three persons arrested in Suriname are still in custody since the investigations is not yet completed.