Remains of woman who jumped over Kaieteur Falls recovered, flown to city

Last Updated on Tuesday, 1 December 2015, 19:23 by GxMedia

The body of the 23-year old woman, who jumped over the Kaieteur Falls, was Tuesday recovered from the gorge, sources confirmed.

The remains and several members of the Guyana Police Force were late Tuesday being flown out from that interior location to Georgetown.

Members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces were expected to play a major role in recovering the body of Roshinee Phagwah who hailed from Canje, Berbice.

Authorities said the woman dashed from a group of other domestic tourists and Kaieteur National Park rangers and jumped off the falls on November 21, 2015.

Phagwah, who worked with the Guyana Power and Light’s New Amsterdam branch, was the second person to have committed suicide by plunging into the gorge, more than 700 feet from the top.

Back in September, Gyaneshwarie “Lalita” Sivanand jumped to her death.

In both cases, the women were having domestic  problems.

Domestic aviators, tourism officials and other persons have expressed grave concern about the incidence of suicide and the misuse of the falls by mentally fragile persons to end their lives.

President of the  National Air Transportation Association (NATA), Annette Arjoon-Martins, has urged the media to not only report about these incidents but also be part of a national conversation on suicide prevention.

Guyana has been ranked by the World Health Organisation as the country with the highest incidence of suicides.

Experts say suicide continues to be prevalent mainly among Guyanese of East Indian descent; their main means being agro-chemicals.