A tree, felled by strong winds, claimed the lives of two men last Friday as they were doing a “wash down” at a mining camp in the Potaro River.
Dead are Kedar Ganesh, 39, the owner of the mining operation, and one of his employees, Sydney Hernandez, called ‘Dougla,’ 25, of Hosororo, North West District.
The accident occurred around 2 pm at Amatuk Backdam, Potaro River, when strong winds caused the tree to fall on the men. Both men reportedly died instantly. Ganesh’s head was said to have been almost completely severed as a result of the impact, this newspaper was told.
The bodies were found several hours later by camp workers and the police were summoned. Police were left with the task of ferrying the bodies overland and by boat to the Mahdia Regional Hospital, which is some distance away. The two men were officially declared dead at the hospital.
The bodies are currently at the Mahdia Hospital mortuary, where post-mortem examinations are to be done.