Eight of the persons squatting at canefields at Success, on the East Coast of Demerara, were injured yesterday after a section of a large tree fell on a shed under which they were sitting.
Of those injured, all of whom were women, one was seriously hurt after she was pinned as a result of the fallen tree.
A police report said the accident occurred around 2.10 pm in the canefields of the Success backlands, where several persons were sitting in a makeshift structure on a dam running east to west. It said the tree fell on top of the structure, injuring eight women who were in close proximity. They were subsequently assisted by law enforcement officers and transported to the George-town Public Hospital (GPH).
The report noted that the women suffered both serious and minor injuries to various parts of their bodies, including to their heads and limbs.
The injured persons were identified as: 1. Dallyan Donald, 25, of Lot 72 Quamina Street, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara; Shevon Bell, 34, of Lot 154 Fifth Street Success; Pinkey Benjamin, 33, of Lot 6 Success; Smart, age unknown, of Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara; Sunita Persaud, 46, and Nafeeza Persaud, of Lot 28 Industry, East Coast Demerara; Nalini Lall, 47, of Lot 9 Industry; and Sonia Nazir, 40, of 254 Third Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara.
The police said they were being monitored
One of the squatters at Success, who gave his name as “Smith,” told Stabroek News that the women were sitting and conversing under the shed when the tree broke and a section of the top fell across a nearby trench, resulting in the upper half coming down on the shed.
The man, who said he was passing by at the time, believed that the tree fell as a result of it becoming too weak to sustain its weight, since it was rotting from the interior.
Smith said the police came and assisted the women by taking them across a bridge to get to vehicles on the other end of the dam.
He added that they were assisted by public-spirited citizens who also assisted in taking some of the injured persons to the GPH, where they received treatment.
Smith also said that there were two pregnant woman and children under the shed at the time of the disaster. However, it was stated that the screaming children had escaped unhurt after they ran in fright away from the shed when they heard the creaking sound of the tree falling.
The concerned man believes that if the entire tree had fallen, the results could have been deadly.
The shed was used by the squatters as a place to sleep at nights and a hang out spot during the day.
Upon examining the tree, Stabroek News saw what seemed like rotting parts, eaten by insects.
Parts of the broken tree lay in the nearby trench.
