Four Venezuelans were severely burnt about their bodies following an explosion onboard a vessel at a fuel depot at Morawhanna in Region One on Sunday morning.
Injured are Antel Gonsalves, said to be in his 70s, Zadola Antonio, Ruiz Domingo said to be in his 30s and another man whose name was given as Elizaul.
Antonio and Gonsalves sustained third degree burns; their torsos, faces, and feet were severely burnt and their conditions were being monitored by medical staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital last evening. Elizaul sustained second degree burns; his hands and back were burnt, while Domingo sustained burn marks to his back and hands.
Reports are that around 8 am on Sunday, the boat’s engineers were attending to a mechanical problem in the engine room onboard the Venezuelan-owned fuel vessel when the incident occurred. A source at Mabaruma said the men were welding, when pieces of equipment caught afire resulting in an explosion in the engine room. Quick action by their colleagues led to the fire being extinguished, but reports are that the vessel was substantially damaged.
The men were ferried to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital for medical attention. Reports are that the men might be in the country illegally and were hesitant as regards seeking further medical attention. They were, nevertheless, air-dashed to the city yesterday afternoon and were admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital as their injuries were determined to be severe.
Region One Chairman, Paul Pierre, told Stabroek News yesterday that he received a call on Sunday morning from another official in the region and he was told that there was a fire onboard a vessel at Morawhanna. He said he was told that the men were fixing a part of the vessel’s engine room when “there was a spark up and subsequently a fire”.
When this newspaper visited the public hospital yesterday afternoon, a huge crowd gathered as the men were being taken into the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit of the medical institution for treatment. Gonsalves and Elizaul were able to walk while their colleagues were placed on stretchers and taken into the hospital as they moaned in pain.
The fuel facility at Morawhanna is frequented by Venezuelan-operated vessels whose owners transport and sell fuel to the depot there. The fuel is sold at a competitive price, a source in the region told Stabroek News yesterday, but he noted that there are many “inconsistencies” regarding the legal aspect of the trade as many times persons would smuggle fuel into the region using the facility as a cover.
When this newspaper visited Morawhanna in March this year, several vessels were waiting to discharge their cargoes of fuel at the depot, which was once operated by the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil).
GuyOil had closed the facility in 2008, citing unfair competition from smugglers who move fuel from neighbouring Venezuela to Region One.
A Trinidadian national had subsequently entered into an agreement with the authorities to lease the facility and he was selling fuel there but only for a short period.
Another businessman, who hails from the region, was left in charge of the facility. The businessman was using the facility to retail fuel and has expressed an interest in revamping it, the aim being to trade in seafood, while at the same time resuscitating the cooperative society.
