Police last evening said they were investigating the deaths of two miners who were killed when a mining pit at St Elizabeth Backdam, Potaro, Region 8 collapsed.
A release from the police identified the two men as Sherwayne Joseph, a 26-year-old miner whose address is unknown and Imran Blake, a 19-year-old miner of Kuru Kuru village, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The incident occurred at around 2:30 yesterday and according to the release the men were at the time working with John Burrowes, a 38-year-old dredge owner of 111 Miles Mahdia, on his eight-inch land dredge mining operation.
The two miners were among nine workers on the night shift and they were in the pit with three of their colleagues when a rumbling sound was heard and soil broke away and started to fall into the mining pit. One of the workers said he raised an alarm alerting the workers in the pit. However, the land covered Joseph and Blake and buried them beneath, while the other three workers in the pit managed to escape.
Only one of the bodies has thus far been recovered as investigation continues.
