Boat operator crushed by Oldendorff tug

Berbice: A man is in custody assisting police with investigations into the death of a boat operator.
Andre Thompson of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice, was killed when a tug which belongs to Oldendorff Carriers crashed into his boat and then pinned him in the water.
Oldendorff, a German company, has been contracted by RUSAL to transship bauxite from its Upper Berbice operations closer to the mouth of the Berbice River where large international ocean going vessels come to collect consignments.
Thompson, 42, was at the time sleeping in a 30 foot long single engine boat at De Veldt about 50 miles up the Berbice river. The boat is owned by his brother-in-law Richard Lepps.
Eyewitnesses say as the tug approached, Thompson in an attempt to save his life, jumped into the river.
He ended up under the tug and was pinned for some time. His body was later discovered as the tide dropped. The incident occurred at about 4:30h on Saturday. Godfrey Conway, the driver of the tug said he fell asleep and did not see Thompson’s boat.  According to reports, soon after the incident, Conway started to sail away but stopped after several persons nearby yelled out to him to stop.
Police arrived on the scene several hours later and took away the body. Oldenorff Carriers refused to comment on the incident.
The body is currently at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary awaiting an autopsy.  Thompson leaves to mourn his wife and three children.