An early morning outing to Las Cuevas Beach on the North Coast turned tragic yesterday when an off-duty police officer drowned. PC Ryan Sankar, 33, attached to the Siparia Police Station was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital around 10 am. Reports said Sankar, his fiancee and other relatives arrived at the beach before 8 am, ahead of the expected crowds.
After breakfast, officers said, Sankar went for a sea bath around 8.30 am but got into difficulty and disappeared under the water. Relatives rushed to his assistance and pulled his body out of the water. Doctor Viruna Nanoo, attached to the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, who was also at the beach, attempted to resuscitate Sankar who remained unconscious.
Nanoo later accompanied police officers to the hospital. Sankar was pronounced dead on arrival.