Two people have come forward in the case surrounding the disappearance of Nancy Ng, a woman who went missing in October while kayaking in Guatemala’s Lake Atítlan, accusing the kayak company of failing to protect its clients.
L.A. yoga instructor Eduardo Rimada, who organized the trip, told NBC News that Kayak Guatemala, the company that rented out kayaks and paddleboards to the retreat group, did not offer anyone a life vest and that “no precautions were given.”
Another participant, one of the 10 people on the same yoga retreat as Ng who requested anonymity for fear of potential online harassment, also alleged that the company did not provide them with life vests or take any other safety precautions. The company’s owners told media outlets last month that the group had rejected any life jackets.
“The trip took this tragic turn, but I feel like it could have been avoided,” the retreat participant said.
Their accounts back up a similar claim from a lawyer for Christina Blazek, the last person to see Ng.
Kayak Guatemala did not return NBC News’ request for comment. But Elaine Beal, who owns the company with her husband Lee, told Inside Edition that they “give people the opportunity to take a life jacket and, for this group, they all said no to taking life jackets.”
Ng, 29, went missing on Oct. 19, several days into the “Be the Change” yoga retreat. According to the retreat participant, who said they grew close to Ng on the trip, there were no life jackets “at all in sight.”
“If I saw one, I would have walked over and grabbed it myself,” she said.
The retreat participant said that without safety equipment, they were hesitant to get in the water and subsequently voiced the concern while in the shop.
“I said out loud, ‘Damn, we’re about to get on these without a life jacket?’ And the kayak people didn’t seem alarmed or anything,” they said. “I don’t know if they heard me. I don’t know if they understood what I was saying [because of the language barrier], I would assume they would know what that means.”
The retreat participant also said that the employees failed to give any instruction on how to maneuver their watercrafts. And there was no warning of winds or currents, or any guidelines on how far they could safely venture out into the lake. Instead, they said, the group was ushered into the water hastily. Additionally, no paperwork was given to explain the risks, and no emergency contact information was taken down, they said.
“When I got on my paddleboard, I felt rushed, like they were trying to get the other board down, but I was in the way,” the retreat participant said. “I don’t remember what they were saying because it wasn’t in English, but it was almost as though they were like, ‘Go, go. Just go.’”
The retreat participant said that at first the conditions on the lake were calm, but they felt uncomfortable when reaching a certain point in the water when the hue looked black.
“I didn’t paddle too far myself,” they said. “The water was so deep and then boats would pass and it would kind of rock you a little.” She said the weather then changed and the current started to pick up.
When they looked out into the water to glance at Ng, she appeared confident in her kayak.
“The last time I vividly remember seeing Nancy was probably one hour into us being on the water,” the retreat participant said. “I remember sitting up and I looked out and I saw Nancy was further [out on the lake] and she was admiring the view.”
The retreat participant said when they saw that the owners of Kayak Guatemala had spoken about the incident to the media, they were surprised, adding that they did not see the owners there that day.
G. Chris Gardner — attorney of Blazek, the last person to see Ng — told NBC News his client also said there was no mention from those at the shop concerning any safety considerations or guidelines, no presence of life jackets, and no sight of the shop owners that day.
Gardner previously told KABC that Blazek attempted to warn Ng that the conditions on the lake weren’t safe for swimming. Ng ignored the warnings, got in the water and pushed her kayak away from herself in the process, Gardner said. Blazek said she then attempted to help retrieve Ng’s kayak and it was in those moments that Nancy disappeared.
“[Blazek] kept one leg in her kayak and one leg in [Nancy’s] kayak and tried to get back to her ... and got close to her,” Gardner told KABC. “And then apparently, [Blazek] lost the kayak again and she turned around to go back to get the kayak again, and when she turned back around, Ms. Ng was gone.”
Co-owner Lee Beal told KABC that he and his wife watched Ng and another woman paddle “until we lost sight of them” before the distress signal was called in.
Elaine added: “I witnessed the survivor being ushered up the steps with the yoga instructor. She was clearly distressed, and they didn’t say a word to us.”
However, a police report seen by NBC News stated that Lee Beal was out of the country during the incident, while Elaine was in her house and only learned about Ng’s disappearance after the fact.
Rimada also said that neither of the owners were present that day, adding that he was told that Lee Beal was out of the country.
Nancy Ng’s sister, Nicky Ng, who’s been fighting to find her loved one, said that she has heard from “multiple participants” on the yoga retreat that there were no safety jackets offered or visible at the shop and has been “frustrated” with the kayak company’s conflicting account.
“To so boldly claim that ‘Our workers offered life jackets and the group declined,’ I don’t know what to make of that considering other participants have told me otherwise,” Nicky said of Kayak Guatemala’s owners.
Ng added that Rimada failed to collect emergency contact information and contacted the family about Nancy’s disappearance four hours later.
Rimada confirmed this but declined to expand on any communications with the family.
An underwater search led by search and recovery team Bruce’s Legacy has been ongoing and Nicky Ng has called on Blazek to speak with the organization.
“Little details can go a long way for the search team, and with what little information we have, we’re really grasping at straws here,” Ng said.
Gardner said that his client has “no new information” to share with search teams. He said that Blazek wasn’t paying much attention to her whereabouts and returned to shore as fast as she could after realizing that Ng went underwater and didn’t resurface.
“She told authorities that day the general area she believed she was, which was out far toward the center of the lake,” Gardner said, saying she didn’t have any more information to share.
The retreat participant, who described Nancy Ng as “pure light” said they hope that the kayak company can take further safety measures.
“Please be honest with yourselves about the lack of responsibility taken, because someone lost their life,” she said.