PARAMARIBO--A family drama cost the life of a father and his three children Friday night.

During an outing with his family, Soerinderkoemar Nibar (28) and his wife had a heated argument which ended with him threatening to kill himself and their children. At a certain moment, he kicked the wife out of the car and drove off. When she didn't see him returning, she called police, who had already received a report from fishermen of a car that had been driven into the Saramacca River, near the village of Uitkijk in District Saramacca, not far from the capital Paramaribo.

The witnesses said the car, a Toyota Carina, had stopped a while and then reversed to speed front-first into the river. It floated on the surface briefly and then disappeared. Hundreds of people gathered at Uitkijk, looking on as police searched for the car, fearing for the lives of the occupants.

By Saturday night, the search parties had located the car 150 metres upriver and removed Nibar's body, as well of those of his children Shereja (3) and Ishaan Nibar (1). The body of Tuchal (6) had apparently gotten out of the car through the broken, front windshield of the car; police expected to find it on Sunday as well.