A HORRIFIC smash-up between a Route Number 72 (Mahdia) minibus and a sand truck at Coverden on the East Bank Demerara yesterday morning has left four persons dead and five others seriously injured.

Those confirmed dead are driver of the minibus, Cosbert Felix Marc also called ‘Bertie’ ‘42 of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, who died on the spot; his nephew Delroy Evans, 23; an elderly relative, Gloria Evans of Mahdia, and a woman of Amerindian descent, also said to have been a resident of Mahdia, whose head was crushed.
Among the injured are three- year-old Mia Evans, who was admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital in a critical condition, but who had later improved; Orson Rigby 23, of Number 8 Village, Corentyne, Berbice;  Akim Cave of 1985 Nutmeg Street, Festival City, North Ruimveldt; and another man who only gave his name as Kelly.
Orson who was in the front seat of the minibus, is lucky to be alive. He has suffered a fractured shoulder and other injuries.
Persons who witnessed the accident, attested to statements made by survivors of the accident that the tragedy was caused as a result of ‘drunk’ driving on the part of the ‘very young’ driver of the sand truck.
Witnesses claimed that the minibus, BPP 3521, was travelling en route to Mahdia, when, around 10:30 hrs as it was in the vicinity of Coverden, a sand-truck, GPP 8495, driving at an alarmingly fast rate, and heading in the direction of the city, overtook a parked canter and  on clearing the vehicle, crashed head on into the minibus.
“If you look at the drive shaft for the truck, you will see that it bend, and it’s only in rare cases that this would happen. That is ‘nuff ’ speed, ” one motorist declared.
The driver of the sand truck, on slamming into the minibus, hit the driver and killed him instantly.
As a result of the accident, traffic was disrupted for a considerable period along the lone route to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
Twenty three-year-old Orson Rigby, who lives on the Corentyne, and came out to the city last week to attend a wedding, was at the time making a trip to Mahdia before returning to the Corentyne. Rigby, badly hurt, but trying to regain his composure told the Guyana Chronicle. “We were driving in our lane and the truck came out from behind the one it was overtaking at short notice. The minibus driver attempted to pull to the side, but the truck was right on us, crushing the bus and sending it flying into a nearby trench.”   The truck ended up in the same trench, partially submerged.
The loud impact created in the usually quiet neighbourhood sent public spirited persons scurrying to the rescue. The Guyana Defence Force ambulance was among rescue vehicles taking the injured to the Diamond Regional Hospital, while other vehicles took the badly injured and those who were pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond and Georgetown Public Hospitals.
Persons at the scene who witnessed the accident said the police confirmed that the young driver of the sand truck was under the influence of alcohol; he fled the scene, and hid nearby, but was soon apprehended by the ranks and taken into custody.  “He’s a lil’ youth man; he driving drunk, but the police get he,” another driver said.
As word went around that a Mahdia bus was involved in a fatal accident, several persons who said they were relatives, friends or business associates hurried down to the scene and there was loud weeping and wailing as persons turned up with photographs and were able to identify some of the dead and injured. One woman who claimed to be a friend of the Evans family recalled that just about one week ago she had given a yellow stuffed toy to three-year-old Mia. The child cherished the toy, and was cuddling it when the accident happened. On impact it was rudely separated from her, and after the wreck, the bloodied toy was found in the wreckage outside the bus.
Meanwhile, the scene at the Georgetown Public Hospital was one of deep anguish as relatives on learning of the disaster appeared on the scene and were able to identify their loved ones by photographs shown them outside the hospital compound. However, others were blatantly denied the opportunity of seeing their loved ones, and the hospital was very firm on that.
Post mortems will be performed in the new week.