NAREI extension officer dies, Bangladeshi injured in incident on Tacama trail

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 18:23 by Denis Chabrol

An extension officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) was killed Tuesday morning on the Tacama Trail, Ituni in a vehicle accident police said.

He was identified as Aaron Leitch, a crop extension officer in Ituni District.

The incident occurred at about 8 AM when the pick-up, owned by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) and attached to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which was driven at the time by 50-year old Nigel Hutson from Georgetown.

Police said Bangladeshi, 37-year old Arafat Fazal and 39-year old Gregory Grenville from Amelia’s Ward, Linden. Police said Fazal was admitted for injuries to his body and later transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for further medical attention and his condition was regarded as stable.

“Enquiries disclosed that the pick-up was proceeding East along the northern side of the Tacama trail at a fast rate and while negotiating a left bend, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it ended up on the southern parapet after which it toppled several times before it came to a halt,” the Guyana Police Force said in a statement.

The injured persons were taken to the Linden Hospital Complex, where they were seen and examined by a doctor on duty who treated them for the injuries.

Police said Grenville and the driver were treated and sent away. Aaron Leitch was pronounced dead on arrival.