Elderly Guyanese woman dies; several Caribbean students injured in three-vehicle accident

Last Updated on Thursday, 1 December 2016, 14:31 by Denis Chabrol

UWI Guild President, Makesi Peters.

A three-vehicle smash-up on Guyana’s East Coast Demerara Wednesday resulted in the death of a Guyanese woman and injuries to several Caribbean students of the University of the West Indies.

Dead is former Region Five Deputy Regional Executive Officer 61-year old Esmi Rockliffe of Enterprise, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

Guyana Police Force spokesman, Jairam Ramlakhan said at about 10:30 AM, the Caribbean nationals were in a Route 63A bus , BPP 2127, heading to the Tain Campus of the University of Guyana when the accident occurred on the Friendship, Mahaicony Public Road.

Investigators were told that a west-bound minibus, BJJ 3844, made a sudden U-turn

UWI Guild Vice President, Michael Rajnauth

turn and “collided with the “right centre of the bus” that was transporting the students. At that point a hire car that was travelling east slammed into the bus with the students.

Two occupants of BJJ 3844 and the driver, 42-year old Gavin Roberts of Recess, Mahaica were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Twenty-three year old Yenev Caesar of St. Lucia; Makesi Peters of Trinidad and Tobago, and 21-year old Michael Rajnauth of Trinidad and Tobago- all executives of the UWI Guild at the St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad- were admitted to nearby Mahaicony Cottage Hospital and subsequently discharged.

UWI Guild International Affairs Chairperson, Yenev Caesar

Guild President, Peters; Vice President, Rajnauth and International Affairs Chairperson, Caesar were in Guyana to discuss an existing Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Guyana Students Society. They were also due to meet with Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge and Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine.

Transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for emergency treatment were 27-year old Tricia Williams of Blankenburg, 24-year old Christine Basil of Anira Street, Queenstown and Makini Barrow of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Barrow, the UWI Dormitory Representative, has already departed Guyana for her homeland.

The car driver received slight injuries and the two occupants were unscathed.

None of the drivers was under the influence of alcohol.