…turns out to be firecrackers; sounded like machine guns – staff
PANIC almost ensued at the Turkeyen campus of the University of Guyana when loud explosions were heard at around 13:00 hrs yesterday, but these turned out to be nothing more than explosive firecrackers, not unlike those used during the holidays.

The explosions came one day after pandemonium broke out in downtown Georgetown on Wednesday when a man died as a result of a grenade explosion, with 19 persons being injured.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that police ranks were on the East Coast at the time and two students were taken away for questioning.

They had allegedly ignited the incendiary devices along the road between the Faculty of Technology and the UG Administration building.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, Registrar of the University, Vincent Alexander, said  the sound was very loud and sounded like rapid fire from a machine gun.

“People were scared and uncertain. They did not want to go out of the buildings,” he said.

He said that while the security guards at the entrance of the campus buildings would carry out searches and demand student ID cards, the perpetrators were yesterday lighting the devices while driving along the road in the university compound.

The students in custody are Mark Hussein, 22, of Fourth Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, and Romain Lee, 18, of 323 Cummings Street, Alberttown, Georgetown.

A bottle of El Dorado rum was retrieved by the police from the vehicle they were driving.

Hussein admitted that he ignited the firecracker while Lee told the police he purchased the firecracker in Lethem.

Commander of ‘C’ Division, Gavin Primo, who was on the scene yesterday, told reporters that he viewed the incident as “idleness” which can be termed a ‘boy’s prank’ and the students will be charged shortly.