One man is dead and another seriously injured after an industrial accident yesterday at RUSAL’s Aroaima bauxite operations in Region 10 (Upper Berbice/Upper Demerara).
The Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc (BCGI) in a statement expressed “great regret” over the accident and said that Franklyn Reece of Hururu Mission, Berbice River had died. The 20-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at the Kwakwani Hospital while 35-year-old Anthony Johnson was injured.
BCGI said the accident occurred at Block #5 in the Kwakwani area. It said that the family of the deceased was immediately informed and the Company expressed its condolences.
The company said Johnson was injured as a result of the accident and he was “immediately air transported by the Company to the Georgetown public hospital corporation (GPHC), where he received urgent medical care”. BCGI said his condition is not critical, and in the opinion of the doctors he should be released in a few days.
“The Reece family will be offered compensation and other assistance from the BCGI. The Company also will stand all medical expenses for our colleague Anthony Johnson”, BCGI said.
The statement said that the directors of BCGI are in contact with the Guyana authorities surrounding this incident, in particular with the Office of the Prime Minister.
“According to the provisional assessment the casualties (were) suffered because of an involuntary cave in of a bench edge.
All circumstances of this accident will be the subject of a specially created commission which will provide its final conclusion”, BCGI said.
“This Company considers the absence of our colleague Franklyn Reece as a loss to our mining family and regrets all emotional trauma that was caused by this event, and truly empathizes with his relatives in their bereavement”, the statement said.
BCGI has had frosty relations with the bauxite union over a series of matters including occupational health and safety.
According to information emanating from the area, sometime after 10 am the two men were in a mining pit where the company was blasting when a wall caved in smothering the two.
Johnson was quickly rescued but Reece was buried under a lot of debris and it took some time for rescuers to get to him.
He was rushed to the Kwakwani Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Johnson suffered injuries to the back and could not be brought out by road to the Linden Hospital Complex.
According to reports out of Kwakwani the riverain hospital has the capacity to provide an assessment of Johnson’s condition but is handicapped because there is no lab technician in Kwakwani.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds who has responsibility for mining yesterday afternoon issued a statement expressing regret at the accident.
“Prime Minister and Minister Responsible for Mining, including bauxite, (Sam Hinds) sadly learnt this morning (October 30, 2011) about the unfortunate accident at the bauxite mines of Bauxite Company Guyana Inc. (BCGI) at Kwakwani, in which a mine wall collapsed on two samplers- one reportedly fatally injured and the other in a critical condition in hospital at Kwakwani.
“The Prime Minister has had discussions with the Minister of Labour, Honourable Manzoor Nadir who is dispatching a team of officers to Kwakwani to ascertain the facts and to provide an immediate report on this regrettable accident.
“Early in this week, a team will be appointed to conduct a full investigation into this fatal accident in an effort to establish where regulations to ensure occupational safety and health might not have been satisfied, and to determine other factors, if any, that might have contributed to this unfortunate incident.
“Sincere condolences and deepest sympathies are hereby extended to the family and friends of the deceased, and wishes for an early and full recovery of the injured are herewith proffered.”
