UPDATE: St. Lucian drowning victim identified
Dominica News Online - Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 at 4:38 PM
Denrick Royer assisted in searching for the body of the lost swimmer.
Al Mourillon, who was at a hike at the Boiling Lake with at least four other companions, encountered difficulty when he swam up into the cave of the Titou Gorge in Laudat yesterday.
Police are currently investigating the incident. A coroner’s inquest and subsequently a post mortem will be convened.
A Laudat resident, who helped to pull the young man out of the water after he submerged, told Dominica News Online that he was on his way to take a bath in the river with a friend when they heard screams coming from a certain area of the river.
Denrick Royer said: “I hear a girl crying and saying [he drown, he drown!] … so she said, five of them went in the water, four came out and one stayed, and the one that stayed… he is a St Lucian he just came and visit.”
“So I take out my t-shirt and I jump in with a white man and two other Dominicans and we were looking. I asked where he drowned they said there {pointing to the ground} …then I told them that this is the deepest part in Titou. Then I took out my life jacket,” he said.
He continued, “So me, the white man, the other guy …we went down over and over searching for the body but the water was so blue and dark we could see anything and then….[I heard I got the body] so we helped the white man bring it out, then we tried CPR on shore and then no pulse.
The Titou Gorge. * Photo credit: thetravelwebsite.co.uk
According to Royer, the foreigner was also a doctor and pronounced the young man dead on the scene.
Reports are that the St Lucian national was advised to wear a life jacket before he went into the river, but refused and stated that he could swim. He initially did not want to swim up to the cave but was persuaded by his companions.
Dominica News Online will bring more details as it becomes available.
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127 Comments
R.I.P Bby .. You will never be forgotten .. I love nd miss you muchhhh
Yes gone tooo soon R.I.P love i stil cant believe you left me like this with out even telling me wat u had to tell me,i just pray that we get the chance to meet again and talk.R.I.P
r.i.p my shatty ……………………………badboy till the caskette drops
this came as a shocker to me….R.I.P AL may ur soul rest in perfect peace…..
class of 2008 rip my g
I think people should be informed ofall the risk before entering the water becuz as a tourist i dont no the history of the river i dont know what its like im coming for the exprience i mean if soo many things are happening an ppl are not informed den wat do u expect to happen rip al
wel i think there should be signs posted. to let the tourist the danger they are risking or getting into.i grew up in laudat all my life and i can tell you that water is very cold, so from a long walk down the boiling lake trail one needs to take atleast 25 minutes rest before entering the cold and i mean cold water becasue if they dont. they risk of geting crapend and then drowing .rest in peace
am sorry to hear abt my brother,partner and friend lost may your soul rest in peace i will remeber you as we went to school together keep the lucian family
you can never tell what will happen, it just happens weather you want it or not….. those last moments in school was short and fun Al you mikhail and i trying to freestyle for fun….and the last time i saw you in town and you was how excited to go to Dominica and i told you to enjoy… i never expected this to happen….. it’s still shocking is you that happen to… tho all life on earth comes to an end friendship is just the beginning… Rest in peace dear friend Al Mourillon – Rap name: da godfather …. till we meet again the class of V.B.S.S 2008 will all miss a dear friend like you…. hope you hearing our cries from Cornelius Biscette
I am so sadden by this situation…..we spoke 2 weeks ago while he was here in st lucia.God knows why i saw him.May his soul rest in peace and may his family and other friends be strong abt the situation.
Im from st.lucia i can believe al is die i still tryin to wonder if its true but thanks for gettin the body in his lake may him rest in peace al we miss you in st.lucia tears for u my bro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtHXM6v59JI
SIGNS NEED TO BE POSTED IN THESE AREAS. WEAR LIFE JACKETS AND SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK, THAT IS VERY SAD!!!! FLOATABLE DEVICES SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ALSO.
Your St. Lucian buddies sure missin u boy. R.I.P my boy
ya man sad we man
time and unforseen occurrence befall all of us.
our visitors just need to b alil more careful..iv been a tour guide 4 a while n they really give me a hard time to follow my safty measures..as 4 titou..they giv all kinda reason y they’l not wear d vest.n dat place is full of suprises..cant b trusted at all..anyway..may his soul rest in peace..family n friends, hold on..& god bless
Fifteen years ago I made a recommendation to the Staff of the National Development
Corporation now DDA that signs should be erected at these type of places such as Rosalie,
Hampstead, LaPlaine, Londonderry that you “bathe at your own risk” indicating the reasons. To date
nothing has been done. People continue to lose their lives because of the abscense of these
important signs. When will this action be taken? How high the level?
Why would you say that if there were signs the people wouldnt have died? Really? Thats a very daft statement to make> I mean, i totally agree that there should be signs but even when there are signs, tourists are curious and adventurerous looking to explore on their own and make their own judments and conclusions.
Even if there are signs, they will do what they want to do. and fyi there are signs at some of the places you mentioned above.
Just about a year ago i visited wotten waven hot springs and there was a sign saying that the water was hot> but this tourist wasnt convinced so he went to touch it and fell on the side of pool and burnt his backside.
I’m very sorry to hear about the lost of this young man who obviously had and known love.
May his soul rest in peace!
THE WHITE MAN ……………………dominicas need to stop this. would be like it if were were refered to as the black girl,man woman
lol im in new york i work at a department store in Manhattan and If any of the staff don’t know the name of another staff they just say the Asian girl, the Hispanic guy, the black guy, the white guy. The man did not know the other person who helped him.. I just laughed cause he said it numerous times. He does not mean harm by saying it give the guy a break.
don’t be so daft.. it’s just an expression… just a way of lettin ppl know who was there..what was the name of this white man? exactly; no one knows!
totally
OOOhhh i am so sorry that we lost this visitor. i have been to Titou Gorge to bathe and have not made it up the Gorge because its sooo cold. The waters at Middleham falls and Titou are some of the coldest waters to bathe in and can shock your system if you are not used to it. I doubt St. Lucians even have water temperatures so cool. Then again even if you get exhausted at the Gorge there is nothing to hold onto. So it can be nerve racking if you are not a strong swimmer. And people with the weather being so cold these days…boy he might have suffered from hypothermia. But we do need signs and guides at these sites. See how the countries that are relying on tourism do it.
well .Thats life people we should not be surprise the bible stated clearly that these things will happen. we are in the end of time. Its not only Dominica, but the world is in crisis. Trust me , it could be worse. let us just be our brothers keeper and stop casting blame. trust me there are other countries in the caribbean who has it so much worse.
Honestly I can’t stand idiots like you who before a simple accident like this happens, you’ll jump to end of times and that kinda crap.. It was a drowning. This happens everywhere and all the time, and people have been drowning from since the beginning of time. What makes this one any different? Common sense people.. Stop sounding so illiterate.
Stop the name-calling, if they are really illiterate like you said, they are not going to care. Help a brother, do not bring them down.
They cant help it…….that is what keeps Dominica from progressing,
too much ignorance.
Like DNO paying you to be a critic.. hmmm anyways i respect your opinion, enjoy your job.
ya everything is end of time, i have been hearing end of time since i was 1yr old, am 53 is there anything in the church to do ,such as messing with the pastors rod?LOL
Qstorm78, looks like you did not get the deeper reasoning that the president just made.
He is sounding well literate and profound.
Qstorm 78 is just bitter thats also signs of the end of time lol Come on people dont sweat it.life is short don’t stress. @ Dominica. i feel you, since i was one God is comming soon. now i am 30 and i am still waiting.let us just be ready and put our lives in order because we know not when. happy new years every body.
This is so sad…Who ever thought that a visit to our beautiful country turn out to be one of tragedy at the Titou Gorge. Such a lovely place for a bath though cold.I’m sorry for such a loss.. May he rest in peace. God be with his family..
well one more sad new for my country helen just be strong ,and to the family and friends of this young man stand strong .am so sorry for u lost .may he rest in peace god bless
Condolences go out to the lucian’s family.A sad situation indeed!!
But on the bright side he died in the NATURE ISLE the best place
for a rasta to say Good Bye.
Its not the rasta who died,the rasta was part of the search team for the dead.
lol
hegas, hit him back
Boy tuesday I see d man wi at wacky roller he and his cuz…jah boy u never know when u goin na boy……:(..to the family just take it easy that’s life be strong….god bless this family especially in times of need!
please people stop fighting each other on DNO, and now is the time to behave as resposeable people in ur commmunity.
THIS IS SO SAD . I USE TO BE THERE MOSTLY EVERYDAY AND THE LADIES SELLING WOULD ALWAYS TELL THEM TO TAKE A LIFE VEST. mOST OF THEM WOULD REFUSE. i KNOW MANY PEOPLE ALMOST DROWNED BUT NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN FOR REAL, I MYSELF ALMOST DROWNED. MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.
may he RIP . They must display sign of the danger of this place…. It bring memories.. My cousin got drown there in !980 ..was a DGS sixth form student with a group of students who came form the hiking from the Boiling lake and went for a swim in the Gorge. That was a sad day for me and family..
I remember that incident so clearly. I was on the 1st April. Yes it was so sad.
ooh you poor boo boo, u need a hug
sad indeed,i will pray for his family!
It,s never easy to loose a love one. My condolances to the entire family god bless
oh how sad.
yow peeps get real,,,jus like it is mayor bloomberg fault that people were left stranded in the snow n mass transit in n,y is just so skerro and the minister of tourism should be responsible to put life guards at titou gorge o,k,,,,we are to lax in d.a,,,,this is a popular visitors guide,,,,a woman lose her child 7 hrs after giving birth because an ambulance couldn’t reach her in time in n.y,,,,bloomberg had an interest in running for prez,,,a blizzard which is a natural disaster ruin all that,,,,,,that’s how people keep leaders in check,,,in d.a we would say oh is not skerro fault blah blah blah,,,,by now the gov’t in particular tourism minister should put lifeguard(s) there,,,did we forget that pirates of the c/bean 2 & 3 was shot in dominica,,,,get real n stop sipping the skerro sour juice
“this is a popular visitors guide “???
well i enjoy humor n u had me laughing
everything for allu is politics!! stupes!!
well here in new york they blame the authorities for everything .i honestly dont think why bloomberg should be blamed for mother nature.
these area should b supervised by life guards this is a tourist area and some people dont know how dangerous these nice places can be so people if u dont know abt an area ask questions before u go there.mr royer good job one thing i know the worst place that a cramp can catch u is in water
may his soul rest in peace.
May his soul rest in peace.
how sad u know…….
Dem sun worshippers put blight on my country…say a prayer for Dca to deliver her from all evil
I suppose Matt, Lennox,Groovy Bat, Eddie, Ron, Spraggs and the rest of those JOKERS will try and convince us that Skerrit and the DLP responsible for this mishap too?
oh shussss! how foolish of you.
so true!! all dey do is talk nonsense
They should erect some kinda caution sign there. Especially if folks have to swim under water to get to the other end. Warning signs can never be enough. I don’t know the area at all but if lifeguards can be on duty there during tourism peak season that would be a plus. Just a suggestion, again I don’t know the area at all.
EBEH BAZILLE WORKING WELL HARD PAPA…..RIP
after hiking he shouldnt have gone to swim..he would have cramped up…sad..i have tears in my eyes
So Sad. My condolescence to his family and friends here and in St. Lucia. And take Brenda’s advice seriously. We know not the hour nor the time. Let us walk in obedience and walk daily with our saviour. Yes a snap and our loved ones is taken away from us sometimes with no warning signs. To the Family and friends hold strong and lean on the Everlasting arms of our Father. He will definitely see you through this and time will definitely heal the pain. Concentrate on the best times spent with him but do cry when you have to.
They might try to install a rope that people can grab on to and follow with knots in it so that if they get disoriented they may be able to find a way back up to the surface as well as grab on to if necessary once they are on the other side.
Also a description of what to expect and how far you have to be able to swim underwater would be helpful to read beforehand. Some people may not have the swimming skills necessary to navigate that gorge without other equipment and guidance.
It is unfortunate that this young man lost his life there. Prevention is key.
Very good advice. I think that would realy work.
in a time like that how u can think or say sumthing like that if it was ur family u wuld not think or say nun so bro we must put our self in others shoes and situation
May Your Soul Rest In Peace.
Very Sad…May he rest in peace
thumbs up to the guys who ran to their assistance. there are good ppl in Dominica
thats a big mistake… entering that cold water after a long hike like the boiling lake hike.. normaly the body loses vital amounts of salt.. which is necesary form muscle contraction and relaxation… this usually leads to a fatal cramp.
yet another victim
cheee ouch sorry
IT SEEMS LIKE SATAN HAS TURNED HIS ATTENTION ON US FULLY THIS YEAR END MAN? CHANT A PSAML….GET BEHIND US SATAN.
Stop your nonsense about satn and Dominica, this was an unfortunate accident that is all it was. Stop all your superstious nonsense.
ya dotish
Titou Gorge at Laudat , first time am hearing about this place. Is it a river or lake. I don’t think it’s a beach because Laudat is not that close to the sea.
It looked like 2010 was a death year in Dca. Hoping for the best in 2011
Are you Dominician
If you in DA and haven’t heard of Titou Gorge, then you need a tour of DA!
Meanwhile, its a really sad situation. Condolences to the friends and family.
up the river in Laudat, (abt 5/10mins from the village), at the entrance to the boiling lake track. Beatiful place to bathe with hot water falls entering the river in which you can get a good soak after a boiling lake trip. The water at the entrance is not deep at all, but once you enter the gorge part itself (the picture), it is really deep. I have swam there so many times, but wouldn’t go up that gorge without a tube! Right inside the gorge at the end is a waterfall.
well well…are you a dominican? and dont tell me you have been living overseas since whenever either! any diaspora dominica who really takes interest in dominica…would have at least heard of Titou gorge!!! so i will conclude you are a non-dominican who is just curious……peace!
Never heard of that place? Waw!!!! It was actually featured in a part of Pirates of the Caribbean. The second part…Hmmm….It’s a beautifu; place. You’ll come to know it someday. But take precaution. It’s some what like a river/pool.It is sourced from a waterfall/river so. The gorge(throat) is between two masses of mountanious rocks. The water there is blue and it looks scary so I wouldn’t go there though my adventurous spirit tempted me to…lol.
To the family and friends both here and in St Lucia I extend deepest condolences. To all readers, I urge you to walk daily with Christ. Make Him your personal Savior. You never know when will be your last hour. I saw this young man less than an hour before he died and he had such a beautiful smile and such a calm disposition….Nothing told me that he would die within the same hour, but he did. We never know when we will be called to the great beyond. It pays to be ready.
Brenda, You couldn’t have said it better my dear….Stay strong in him……Ever Bless
Always pray for God’s protection. Those who practice the faith should know this very well. Those who do not are not aware of it and take everything including their lives for granted.
He made a mistake by refusing to wear a life jacket. Swimming in the water was a challenge for him. In fact, people should be prohibited from swimming in deep water. Buoys should be placed in that area to warn swimmers.
The government needs to concentrate on these safety issues for specifically visitors who are not familiar with the area and depth of the rivers, sea and gorge. It saddens me to hear also of those types deaths in Dominica.
My condolence to his family. May his soul rest in peace!
amen…..
thats so true Brenda. many people say that they have been hearing of christ’s return for so many years and he hasnt returned yet, but I always tell them its not only about when He’ll return, but when we’ll leave this earth, we know not the hour, so we ought to be always ready. Blessings!
oh em gee…that’s so sad because it brings back alot of memories. I almost drowned there as well but thanks to friends and God i got saved in time. I pray for the family members.
u have to go under water to come up on the other side its kinda scary if u cant swim DO NOT DO IT!! They should have air tanks to assit people going in there with guides. This is no joke ppl.
is not just being able to swim…i’ve been there…u have to be able to hold yr breath for long periods. strong swimmer or not, if you can’t hold your breath for at least a minute you out of it.
so wat dey say dere is true den oh! oh! well well,lets watch & pray LHM,but we have already entered into temptation..
Need to have a sign there warning visitors that drownings have occurred and floatation device is necessary. The water is deep with no place to hold on in some places.
“Warning – Drownings have occurred here. Use floatation device”
indeed!! also it is more difficult to float in colder water.
Proper signage in Dominica is lacking.
Another unfortunate incident.
I quite understand what u trying to say, but I tend to disagree….”Drownings have occurred here, use floatation device”……that’s a bit ridiculous. Like every national trail and site, we just need to educate our visitors in an appropriate manner. I’ve never been to Titou Gorge….and skeptical that I ever will….but to those who intend to, please exercise caution and discretion. If u can’t swim or you’re no in the accompaniment of a strong swimmer, my advice would be to stay away. So tragic that the young guy had to die like this; may his family find strength in God.
So i guess you just disagreed without reason… ofcourse it is a good idea to post a warning, how else will visitors know of the dangers?
People in d/a need to start praying god and not the Devil>We need to find those delawrence books that are being used around Dominica and burn dem.
My condolences go out to the relatives of the family both here and in St. Lucia. This one touched me.
Hold strong people. I just want to encourage young people out there to make live for Jesus because we never know how soon we will be called to the great beyond. When i saw this young man I had no idea that in less that an hour he would be dead.
So sad
May his soul rest in peace.
PROPER SIGNAAGES IS NEED TO BE POSTED AND WORK CREATED FOR PEOPLE? PUT A LIFE GUARD THIER TOO!!
Ti Tou Gorge is one of the most amazing place to go swimming, however you need to know about the gorge, particular, when it’s ranning, however, this i an area for job creation for 1 or 2 persons!!!
I hope you remember just recently a French national was lost in the forest near, and all of this could be elminated just by law, job creation, and better signages!!
Good luck Dominica!!!!
This is really sad!
it seems im in new york still. cuz thats where i here so many things happening one after the other so much
stop lying u never been to NY u right there in penville only been to town once so chill out
that is not our best year. begone 2010!!!!!!!!!!!
my sympathies,
thank u but stay in the icebox don’t come back
way papa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everytime i turn to dno is something sad.my country needs prayers two more days to go for 2010 to done and i am hearing this
this year was worst than a leap year man?! so many incidents…
Was he visiting from the MV QE2?
No he was vacationing with family
that’s is y i don’t venture where my feet can’t touch
neither do i .i cannot swin and i dont even try
my nanny used to say “water don’t have branch”
especially if u cannot see your feet.LOL
wey papa,,,i hope his family is already informed,,,2010 doh seem to wanna leave us in peace nah pal,,,,lets all thanks God for life while we are still there,,,,now skerro better have life guards in dat area ok,,,,huh!!!!!!
asannage u were in hiding man or u went on a second vaca
r u looking for man on dno? u must rename ur self to mouth of darking. get a life
Well all u peeople not easy. Even for a drowning incident u blaming Skerrit.
wooiiii!!! maybe he vex skerro rejected his advances
On a sad note, condolences to the family of the St.Lucian visitor.
lol..one thing i donno what skerritt do you eh…you does maybe dream of him wi…
Oh Brother!!
Yep….it’s mouth again, he/she baackk
Come on people!!!! Let us pray for his family and stop that SKERRITT talk….
He never blamed Skeritt, he just asked for lifeguards. And I agree with him.
No Seriously this is a bit much! bondieu is every 30 seconds man something sad happening. This is so tragic
what?!!!!!!!!! sad
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