Two drown while swimming at Rockstone Fish Festival

The Rockstone Fish Festival turned tragic on Sunday with the drowning of a 13-year-old girl and a 50 year-old relative who tried to save her.

The dead girl has been identified as Yasha Prince of Bagotstown. The man who tried to save her and also drowned has been identified as her uncle, Gavin Moses of the West Coast of Demerara.

Reports state that the family headed to the Rockstone fish festival in Region 10 yesterday to celebrate the girl’s birthday.

It was during the height of the activities that the family traveled across from the main festival area to the popular Golden Beach area to swim. The teen reportedly encountered some difficulty while swimming and the uncle rushed to her aid, but he encountered difficulties also.

The young girl’s body was recovered and rushed to the Mackenzie hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival. Up to last evening, the body of Gavin Moses had not yet been recovered. He only celebrated his birthday two days ago.

In a statement, the Guyana Tourism Authority said Safety and Security of tourists (both international and domestic) remain a top priority for the Tourism authorities.

As such, the Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin, along with the Guyana Tourism Authority will be meeting with the Rockstone Planning Committee today to address the circumstances under which the incident occurred and systems to be put in place to avoid a recurrence.

The Ministry and the Authority have expressed sincere condolences to the families, colleagues, and friends of Mr. Moses and Prince.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing this morning.