THE bodies of two other men were recovered from the collapsed mining pit at Pepper Creek, Konawaruk, near Mowasi in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) yesterday, bringing the total amount recovered to seven in a tragic accident described as the result of a fatal combination of circumstances.

Three other men are missing; and of the seven bodies recovered, only two have been positively identified, in both cases by relatives.
Commander of the Guyana Police Force ‘F’ Division, Senior Superintendent Courtney Ramsey, disclosed that the two bodies identified up to late yesterday afternoon were those of Brian Brittlebank, 46, of Wisroc Housing Scheme, Wismar; and Raymond August, 17, of 229 Bent Street, Dartmouth Village, Essequibo Coast.

Efforts continued yesterday to determine the identities of the five others recovered, and efforts to recover the bodies of the three men unaccounted for also continued into late yesterday afternoon.

All those injured in this tragedy were said to be recovering satisfactorily.

Mining officials yesterday confirmed that the accident, which left ten people dead and seven injured, was the worst ever in the history of mining in Guyana.

“Quite definitely a national tragedy,” one source opined.

Seventeen miners had been assigned to two dredges working in the pit. As a result of the cave-in, ten were trapped under the mud.

Reports from the GGMC identified the ten trapped miners as: Leyland Jones, Jason Trotman, Vick Bernard, Frank Bernard; Desmond Martins, Raymond August, Brian Banks, Trevon Phillips, Kurt Nanmore, and another worker known as Michael. Their ages and addresses were, at the time of reporting, unknown.

Both the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) have opined that the tragedy was due to a fatal combination of circumstances.

The GGDMA yesterday disclosed that the accident was due to “criminal negligence” on the part of the operator. GGDMA Engineer Colin Sparman disclosed that his determination was that the mining face and pit walls were too high and too steep; were almost vertical, and that the operation was too close to the face and walls.

He said that with the rains and with water jetting from two dredges, the ground became saturated and the soil became unconsolidated. The surrounding material became very fluid, “like porridge”, and suddenly avalanched into the lowest parts of the pit, where the men were working.

Personnel of the GGMC who visited the scene and investigated the accident concluded that it occurred due to the collapse of two sides of the mine pit. They determined that the operator failed to adhere to standard safety practices when mining is progressing beyond 50 feet in depth. Further, the pit limits were too narrow to allow for safe operation utilising the type of method of mining utilised.

The GGMC also detailed a series of circumstances, starting from August 8, 2013, when it was reported that the current operator of the mine had been mining on property not owned by himself. The virtual complainant was Mr Edward Hopkinson, who said he was the owner of the mining permit.

The matter ended up in the courts, and one of the consequences was that the GGMC was, since August 21, 2013, prohibited from interfering with the mining operation of the defendant, Imran Khan.

Commissioner of the GGMC, Mr Rickford Vieira, said yesterday that it was important to note that when the courts grant such injunctions, the GGMC is prevented from carrying out its lawful functions of monitoring and inspecting mining operations within the sector.

He said that interventions were sought by senior management of the Commission to have this situation reviewed, to allow the Commission to have a hearing before any mining-related injunction is granted; but although this was supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Board of Directors, nothing substantial was done; and, as such, the situation remained unchanged.

On April 1, 2015, a team of officers from the Commission inspected operations in the Pepper Creek, Konawaruk area and found that the mine operated by Mr. Khan was unsafe and had breached several aspects of the Mining regulations. Attempts were made by the technical officers to advise/sanction the personnel at the site, but they were reminded of the injunction, and, as such, legally, no further action could have been taken.

Vieira said this was undoubtedly a link in the chain of circumstances which led to the demise of the ten miners. He added that there are several other injunctions outstanding against the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

On Monday, May 18, a high level team from the GGDMA, comprising Mr. Patrick Harding, president; Ms. Simona Broomes, president of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO); Mr. Kris Ramdas, Senior Engineer of the GGMC; and Mr. Colin Sparman, Administrative Coordinator of the GGDMA, accompanied by Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine – Deputy Chairman of APNU – visited the Konawaruk area to investigate the tragic accident. After its preliminary investigation, the team concluded that the heavy rains in the area, improper mining design, and poor safety practices were among the causes of the accident.

The team also determined that the injunction may have contributed to inadequate monitoring of the affected mining operations by the GGMC.

The team recommended that there should be combined efforts by the GGMC and the GGDMA to raise awareness and educate miners on unsafe practices, particularly since these types of incidents are occurring too frequently.

The GGDMA said it would offer as much assistance as possible to the relatives of the dead miners, if requested.

The GGDMA has advised all miners to take extra precautions during the rainy season, and to seek the support of its mining engineer and qualified environmental officers when uncertain about how to address situations which crop up during the course of their operations. Investigations are continuing.

 
By Clifford Stanley