Despite a desperate attempt by Debe villagers and Venezuelan migrant to save a 29 year old Siparia mother of one, she died after crashing into the South Oropouche River, in Debe Monday night.
Our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh visited the crash site in Debe and the woman’s home in Siparia on Tuesday and brings us the details.
00:00Despite a desperate attempt by Deby villagers and Venezuelan migrants to save a 29-year-old Separia mother of one,
00:07she died after crashing into the South Urpuch River in Deby last night.
00:12Our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Tekesing visited the crash site in Deby and the woman's home in Separia today and brings us this report.
00:20The cause is uncertain, but as she was driving back to her Separia home around 9.30 on Monday night,
00:2829-year-old Kalisa Danclair veered off the Bunsi Deby Trace Bridge, crashing into the deep, muddy waters of the Urpuch River below.
00:39Nearby residents told TV6 News on Tuesday, at first, they weren't sure what they heard, but then they saw headlights underwater.
00:48I was home and all we hear are plunging the river, right?
00:52Well, I thought a tree had broken and fallen in the water, so we just, we come out and see it, but then before we could, we could see a light.
01:03And then we hear that we clean the water.
01:07Kan, who lives next to the river, says villagers rushed to the site to help, and about five people, including a Venezuelan woman, went into the water.
01:17The boys who went down, they had some, many boys, and boys around here, my nephew, I'm a grandson, and a many girl, all there went down.
01:27And all they hear, a pang, a pang, a nab, she beat in the glass, because, well, it's a girl, right?
01:35She beat in the glass, to get help, but the accent was hammering out, to break the glass.
01:41She says they really tried to help the driver, but visibility was low, and the vehicle was completely submerged, making it difficult.
02:01Yeah, they got the hammer, but the water's so muddy, that you cannot see, and the current high.
02:09So that was happening, and they tried all out, when they do get out, it was too late.
02:13Dan Claire, they say, was trapped for close to an hour before her body was retrieved by the villagers.
02:20They called police first, they called ambulance, they called a fire, but when they came, they really didn't do anything,
02:27because the villagers was down in the water trying to help.
02:32Them police didn't do anything for the girl to help her, or go down or anything.
02:38About fire?
02:39Fire, or when they come, it was too late.
02:41We visited the Kura Road Separia home of the victim.
02:45However, friends and relatives declined speaking with us.
02:49Dan Claire was a mother of one, and had been employed with Hadco Limited for the past eight years.
02:55The company issued condolences on Tuesday, describing their colleague as reliable, caring, and a true motivator,
03:03who always encouraged her loved ones to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
03:09Cindy Raghu Bhatika Singh, TV6 News.
03:13Following last night's fatal crash in the Urpuch River, many people have raised concerns over the safety of the Debe Trace Bridge.
03:20Residents told TV6 News today that a concrete bridge was built and abandoned nearby,
03:26as part of the incomplete Debe to Penal segment of the SSH Highway Extension project.
03:32They believe that if it had been completed, tragedies like this one could have been avoided.
03:37Residents say the existing bridge is too narrow with no walkway.
03:41And while it is a one-lane, drivers use it as a double-lane.
03:45In a statement this afternoon, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure acknowledged the presence of an inaccessible modern bridge
03:52with enhanced safety features nearby, saying it was built as part of the Solomon Hojoy Highway Extension project.
03:59This tragedy, it says, underscores the urgent need to complete and operationalize critical infrastructure
04:04to enhance public safety and connectivity.
04:07The Ministry says Line Minister Julien John has been actively prioritizing the extension project beyond its current endpoint,
04:16which would include integrating and using all completed assets like the bridge along Debe Trace.
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