The two injured soldiers who remain hospitalised following the explosion of fireworks on Saturday have been showing positive signs of improvement, family members say.
The injured ranks are Gordon Cornette of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara and Terrance Neil of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara. Cornette is a patient in the Intensive Care Unit while Neil is a patient at the Burn Care Unit.
According to Cornette’s sister, Anya Cornette, her brother has shown significant signs of improvement and is able to communicate with his family.
“He is better able to communicate. He shakes his head when we ask questions and he is able to recognise persons. His recovery has been improving greatly,” she explained. The sister added that his doctors are expected to carry out a second assessment to determine if he needs additional surgery.
Meanwhile, Neil’s fiancée, Izetta Gilkes, told Stabroek News that his condition too has improved and he is now able to eat some solids. She stated that he had undergone a surgery on Saturday.
She also disclosed that Neil is still suffering from sharp aches from the wounds on his hands.
Last Saturday, eight soldiers, who were assembling fireworks in preparation for the 50th republic anniversary celebrations, were injured when there was a spontaneous pyrotechnic combustion at approximately 1.30 pm aback of the Force’s Coast Guard location at Ruimveldt.
Of the eight persons, 21331 Corporal Seon Rose, 31, of Friendship, East Coast Demerara passed away in the Intensive Care Unit at around 11.50 am on Sunday. He had sustained burns to 90 per cent of his body.
The five other injured persons: Trevor Joseph, Atto Cort, Victor Low, Delroy Baird and Isaiah Gordon have been discharged from the hospital.
GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier Patrick West has since ordered a Board of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the explosion. The incident also resulted in the cancellation of the annual midnight fireworks display which had been planned for Stabroek Square in Georgetown.
The Guyana Fire Service is also conducting an investigation.
President David Granger on Saturday told reporters that he was informed that the explosion occurred as the explosives were being loaded on to barges. “…and something obviously went wrong. One bomb. And it might have triggered a chain effect. So it is not as though there was any sort of carelessness. It might have been some fault with one bomb and it affected another bomb,” Granger said at the conclusion of his visit to the injured soldiers at the hospital.
