A morning of celebration ended tragically for two young siblings, who lost their lives by drowning in a trench at Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara.
The two dead children have been identified as 8-year-old Tiana DeCourt and 10-year-old Jadon DeCourt.
It is suspected that Tiana slipped into the trench behind a GWI water treatment plant, and her brother, Jadon, went to her assistance, but they both went under the murky brown water as an alarm was raised. The two, had reportedly wandered off from their mother who was in the same area.
The mother and other relatives rushed to the scene following the discovery of the bodies of the two young children, and broke down in tears as they held on to their lifeless bodies.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Vinceroy Jordan, visited the scene and the relatives of the children. He said based on the information provided, attempts were made to resuscitate both children after they were pulled from the trench. He said it was a devastating incident.
“This is very devastating – the passing of a brother and sister. Standing to watch a father break down in tears and to mourn at the passing of his son and daughter, who is a twin of another sister, I find it very hard. It is quite unfortunate also that they had to die at the hands of reckless contractors or workers within the infrastructure industry, those who are building out. They died in a ditch that was developed from back washing waters from the Water Treatment Plant here in Bachelor’s Adventure on the East Coast. I believe that this is a great loss to the community, the family has been torn to pieces as I witnessed,” MP Jordan said.
It was explained that while a trench existed behind the water treatment plant, recent construction work resulted in the expansion of the trench and its widening.
“It is a trench, existing yes, but let me say a drain but because of the back washing process that is happening from the GWI network it kind of widen and deepen the trench taking it to almost 10ft and depth, more than that. So, it is no longer a trench, it is now a ditch that was created as a result of GWI work,” he explained.
MP Jordan along with other members of the coalition met with the relatives of little Tiana and Jadon shortly after the incident occurred.
Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed also visited the home of the grieving parents and offered his condolences to the family.
In a statement on Facebook, he said too said that contrary to reports the children were not swimming.
“The children were not swimming, they slipped into the water treatment plant. Eye witnesses confirmed that Tiana fell in first. There were no caution tapes or warning signs around. Up until now, there are no tapes around the area,” the Opposition Leader said.
Education Minister Sonia Parag also visited the home where the children lived and met with their parents. She said the Government will offer its full support to the family as they grieve the loss of the two young children.
The incident is under investigation.
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