Following the death of prominent businessman, Hemraj Singh, who drowned while on a picnic at Baracara Island Resort on Sunday, authorities in the tourist sector say patrons should wear life jackets when swimming at resorts.

But some operators insist that there are adequate security measures in place and that on most occasions, the visitors were the ones who would refuse to be guided by the rules.

Forty-year-old Singh, also known as ‘Hemo,’ of Regent Road, Bourda had visited the resort in the company of US Ambassador to Guyana, Roland Bullen and Bullen’s brother, here on vacation, along with others. At around 5:15 pm, he and other members of the group went swimming in a cordoned off area. A spokesperson from White Water Tours had told this newspaper that Singh and another person, had proceeded beyond the cordoned off area and while there they experienced serious difficulties, resulting in them calling for help.

According to the spokesperson, the caretaker of the resort on hearing the men went to their rescue. He reportedly jumped overboard and pulled Singh’s companion to the riverbank. By this time Singh had gone under and after a search by friends was pulled to shore and given Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. He never recovered and was rushed to Bartica Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Contacted yesterday, a woman at the Ambassador’s residence confirmed that Bullen, his brother and others were on the outing. However, while she did not go into details as to what had transpired, she said that the second man who had been swimming with Singh had not been in difficulties in the water. Officials at the US Embassy also refused to divulge any details about Sunday’s tragedy.

Hundreds turned up at the Merriman’s Funeral Home yesterday to view Singh’s body at a service held before the body went to Canada for burial. President Bharrat Jagdeo and Ambassador Bullen were among the mourners.

Jagdeo in his tribute, according to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), said, “I have known Hemo for some time. He was full of life, he was always energetic and full of ideas and it is personally very tragic for me to see him lying here so lifeless.”

From the funeral chapel the casket was led by a police escort to the airport. On its way the hearse passed by another store Singh had owned on North Road and his home on Regent Road.

He was one of the partners at the Tower Hotel and is a remigrant from Canada. He was not married and had no children.

Meanwhile, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Gerry Gouveia said the group was very concerned about the recent spate of drowning incidents at resorts. He said while the onus was upon the visitors to take proper precautions and follow the guidelines, operators had a responsibility to ensure that persons actually complied with the rules.

He said THAG had made it clear that everyone who went into the water to swim must wear a life jacket and that the restricted zone must be clearly demarcated. He added that the waters in Guyana were mostly black, noting that once someone went down they could not easily be seen. He said the river waters were also cold and could cause cramps while swimming.

Speaking about his own resort, Arrowpoint, Gouveia said there were clear guidelines in place along with lifeguards.

He was confident that his resort had the necessary safety measures to prevent anyone from drowning.

Asked whether he was satisfied with the safety measures at the other resorts, Gouveia said “I am satisfied that the players in this industry have adequate safety measures, but as President of THAG I will advise them to ensure that persons going into the water wear life jackets.”

According to Gouveia, since the death of Kevic Lall, who died last Sunday at Lake Mainstay, THAG has been reinforcing its call for visitors to wear life jackets.

Singh is the third person to drown while at one of Guyana’s resorts. Jenee Boyer, on August 8 drowned while at Splashmin’s.

Meanwhile, Director of the newly constituted, Guyana Tourism Authority, Donald Sinclair said the incident was an unfortunate one which should serve as a wake-up call for all operators of resorts.

Sinclair told this newspaper that GTA was yet to be registered and as such it had not yet begun to monitor nor set guidelines for resorts. However, he noted that even without the GTA regulations, resorts were being regulated by the rules from the tourism industry. He said one such rule would be for operators to ensure that visitors wore safety gear.

Sinclair asserted that once the GTA was fully organised the whole issue of visitor safety at resorts would be addressed and regulations and guidelines put in place.

Bibi Janki, General Manager of Lake Mainstay said whenever there was a big event at her resort, like the recent regatta, extra police ranks along with her own private security personnel would be hired. Janki said she regretted the incident last week when Lall died, but insisted there were enough lifeguards at the resort. She added that persons were usually encouraged to wear life jackets, but some of them would persuade her staff that they could swim well and did not need them. She told Stabroek News that notices were placed at strategic points at the resort and the area used for swimming was wide and shallow.

Others resorts, including Splashmins, White Water Tours and Shanklands had said in the past that they were satisfied with their safety measures.