Following the latest death of a miner and the injury of others in another mining pit accident, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman has called for a plan for an enforcement operation.
On Sunday, a miner of Pomeroon River, in Region Two, died and two others were seriously injured after a section of the Region Eight mining pit they were working in collapsed.
The deceased was identified as Edward Daniels, who was working along with nine other men when the accident occurred.
Sources told Stabroek News that the men were working at a mining claim at Minihaha Backdam between North Fork and Eagle Mountain, in Region Eight. As the men were working, one worker observed the land slipping and raised an alarm, warning his coworkers. Most of the crew members were able to escape by running away. However, Daniels was crushed as he was unable to escape the rapid collapse.
In an invited comment yesterday, Trotman said he was very distressed by the incident and subsequently wrote the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Newell Dennison, and demanded an immediate report.
Trotman also asked for a plan for an enforcement operation and for a continuous compliance operation.
Previous enforcement operations have sought to address mines safety, improve mining practices and curb the practice of illegal mining against the background of illegal and unsafe mining practices contributing to many of the fatal mining accidents. Dozens of miners have died in pit collapses in recent years. The APNU+AFC government has held inquiries into some collapses and taken a series of steps but they continue to occur.
