GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – Guyana has been shaken by back-to-back road tragedies that claimed the lives of two families of three over the weekend.
On Sunday, a devastating collision at Pirara, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) left a husband, wife, and their infant daughter dead after the motorcycle they were travelling on reportedly collided with a minibus.
The victims have been identified as Jagnarine Stephen of Yakarinta Village; his wife Keyra, originally from the South Rupununi; and their baby daughter Laurel. The couple, who had been married for just two years, perished alongside their child in the crash. The tragedy has plunged their community into mourning, with relatives and friends describing the loss as sudden and heartbreaking. Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The grief was compounded by news of another fatal accident just a day earlier. In the early hours of Saturday morning, a collision along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway claimed the lives of 26-year-old Shelly Joseph, a mother of two; Keiron Wells, a welder; and seven-year-old Meranzo Campbell. Their car slammed into a parked lorry while returning from Linden. Investigators believe thick fog had severely reduced visibility at the time.
The car was being driven by Mario Campbell, the father of the deceased child, who survived the crash but remains hospitalised in critical condition at the Mackenzie Hospital. Reports suggest the group had travelled to Linden to collect young Meranzo, who had been vacationing with his grandmother, when the accident occurred around 1:00 a.m.
The two crashes, coming within hours of each other, have left communities across Guyana grappling with profound grief as families and friends mourn the lives suddenly cut short.
