Two churchmen drown at Duncans beach

Western Bureau:

A special team of divers yesterday joined forces with members of the Trelawny Marine Police in a bid to locate the body of one of the two St Ann men who drowned at a beach in Duncans, Trelawny, while they were on a church trip on Sunday.

The men, who got into difficulty and drowned as other church members looked on helplessly, have been identified as 30-year-old Duran Bryan, landscaper of St Ann, and 31-year-old Shavan Lewis of Belleair Housing Scheme, also in St Ann, who was self-employed.

"One of the bodies was recovered on Sunday, but despite the best effort of the Trelawny Marine Police, who have now been joined by a special team of professional divers, the second body has not been located," an officer at the Falmouth Police Station told The Gleaner yesterday. "The search will continue throughout today and possibly into tomorrow."

According to reports from the Trelawny police, the two men, who were members of a St Ann-based Seventh-day Adventist church, were part of a group that travelled to the popular beach for a birthday party for a member of the church's congregation.

About 5:40 p.m., while the group was preparing to leave the beach, three persons, including the victims, decided to go back into the water for a last swim. While they were in the water, Bryan and Lewis got into difficulty and disappeared under the water.

With the help of persons who responded to panic and screams of the church members, one of the bodies was fished out of the water.

According to residents of Duncans, they were somewhat shocked by the drowning of the men as for them, the beach, which is regularly used by even small children, is not considered dangerous.