Three men narrowly escaped being burnt to death after the engine of a fuel laden vessel exploded yesterday at Port Kaituma, Region One.
All three persons aboard the vessel, Lisa 2, suffered varying types of injuries with one currently hospitalized at the Port Kaituma Hospital.
According to reports, at about 12:30 hours, the vessel arrived at Turn Basin Port Kaituma, carrying a total of 33,600 liters of gasoline. The boat was captained by Bishaun France, a 27-year-old of Grant First Trial, Pomeroon River accompanied by two sailors, Britton Williams, 21-years-old and Alejandro Williams, 19. At approximately 09:30 am, France and his sailors went for breakfast at the Port Kaituma Water Front after they completed pumping gasoline into a storage boat. They then returned to Lisa 2 to prepare for their return journey to Charity, Pomeroon River.
At this point, France went to start the engine when the throttle suddenly began accelerating uncontrollably. France immediately stopped the engine and as he attempted to restart it, a loud explosion was heard. Persons nearby formed a bucket brigade to try and douse the blaze but were unable to stop or control its spread. They next attempted to prevent the flames from spreading to other boats and were able to save all except one.
As a result of the explosion, Britton Williams sustained injuries to his left foot, upper thigh, upper chest, and his face. He was rushed to the Port Kaituma Hospital, where he remains hospitalized in a serious but stable condition. Alejandro Williams and France suffered scratches about their bodies and were treated and discharged from the hospital. The Lisa 2 was completely destroyed by the inferno. Except for a few ranks from the Guyana Police Force there were no emergency services in sight nor did the boat have fire extinguishers. The Lisa 2 is owned by Alex Williams of Charity, Pomeroon River, and the vessel is said to be worth $10m. The damaged vessel, ‘Monarch 2’ is owned by Deopaul Chunilall.
