-Aranka cave-in survivor
Percy Lancaster, one of the survivors of the Aranka backdam cave-in that claimed three lives, says he feels like he has come back from the dead.
It is his take on his managing to escape with his life, while Devon Barry, Deonarine Singh and Elson Singh died as the pit caved in on them in the Aranka backdam, in the Cuyuni on Wednesday morning.
Lancaster and another miner, Randy April, both of Victoria, East Coast Deme-rara, told Stabroek News yesterday that the cave-in caught the entire group off guard. They said that they were working in the mine around 11 am when they heard a sudden “crack” in the earth. Another miner who is usually positioned at the top of the pit to alert them when the walls of the pit become loose left his post.
Lancaster, 21, who sustained injuries caused by several pieces of wood that pinned him down in the earth, told Stabroek News that he and the three men who died were all working in the pit, which measured approximately 10 feet in width and 15 feet in length.
Barry was at the end of the hose, while he stood behind Singh and Elson. He said that they were more than 20 feet down from the surface of the earth. When they heard several sounds, the others began to scream for them to run.
According to him, he tried desperately to run for his life but was pinned by several pieces of board and eventually thick slush and mud covered his head in the pit. The earth caved in within a matter of two minutes, he noted.
Surrounded by friends and neighbours who came to offer words of encouragement, Lancaster recalled holding his breath as he braced onto Barry while sand and water began to enter his nostrils and ears. “I deh at the bottom deh with me whole head… everything under the mud and slush and some wood pin me to the corner and all I doing is holding me breath and fighting up fuh come out,” he stated.
He spent more than 10 minutes under the surface and according to him, luck came his way when other miners reached for him and yanked him out of the pit.
He said that the men used the dredge to hose down the pit and the force of the water allowed them to reach him first and pull him up. He said that he was placed on the ground and he later vomited out mud and sand as he cried out for pains to his chest and the right side of his rib cage. ”Them wood now come down pon we because when these things happen is everything does get wash in and cover down,” he noted.
The men managed to pull out the three miners who were with him in the pit at the time but Lancaster noted that since it was more than 20 minutes after the cave in, the men had already died.
Meanwhile, April was operating the dredge when the cave-in occurred. “I deh marracking and like the force of the mud lash me off and pitch me in a corner,” he said, adding that he felt pains to his head and neck but he noted that “this coulda been worse because this mud jus start falling to we and I try to run but I get hit off me foot.”
He said that he could not move for a few minutes but luckily for him he fell some distance away from the centre of the pit, which was filled with mud and slush. He said that he was able to assist the other miners in pulling out the men who were trapped in the pit.
”He (pointing to Lancaster) is one lucky man because he been like the rest that dead… because we couldn’t see he, all we do is wash out the pit and he come up first,” April stated.
Lancaster stated that afterward they were taken to a health centre in the area, where the health officer provided them with medication. They said that it took a while before they were able to reach the Aurora airstrip, where an aircraft collected them. They travelled to the Ogle airport along with the three deceased and were taken to a private hospital for treatment.
Asked whether they are going to return to the gold fields, the men were adamant. “Soon as this chest injury I get heal up, I going back in the bush because I gah eat and I know wah I gah do now… God deh with me all the time because is like I come back from the dead,” an optimistic Lancaster stated.
April added, “nothing deh hey… it (gold) deh in the earth and we gah eat. Soon as we arite, we going back and work gold.”
The two men added that their employer has been supportive of them since the incident.
Over the years, many miners have lost their lives while working in the mining pits at the more popular mining districts across the country, mainly at Mahdia, Cuyuni/ Mazaruni and in the North West District. The mining bodies have urged the owners of mining operations to exercise safe mining practices while ensuring the safety of miners, especially those working in the pits.
According to the regulations, mining pits should not exceed 40 feet in depth while they are expected to be dug at an incline for greater stability.
