ONE man is dead and three are injured after a tree fell on a mining camp at 11 Miles Issano on Thursday night during a thunderstorm.

The name of the dead man was only given as ‘Rosco’. Those injured and hospitalized at the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation are Ralph Stephens, 60; Sonnel Persaud, and a male Amerindian whose name could not be ascertained.
Stephens, who suffered a fractured skull, injuries to his neck and face, is also complaining of pains to his back and ribs, and has a high temperature. Persaud suffered a broken arm and abrasions about the body, while the Amerindian man also suffered multiple injuries.
Stephens recalled that on Thursday night around 20:00 hrs, they were all in camp and it was raining heavily with lightning and claps of thunder when a tree fell on the camp, resulting in injuries to the workers.
“In fact I didn’t even know what had happened until I wake up later and found myself on a bed with other workers around me, trying to perform first aid on me.”
He said that since they had no transportation, some of the men were forced to get out of the camp and brave the trail on foot, walking a distance of three miles through rough terrain to 14 Miles Landing. In addition they had to clear the trail, using an axe and cutlass in order to get fallen trees out of the way.
At 14 Miles Landing they got a 4×4 pickup which drove back to the camp, picked up the injured men, then proceeded with them to Hicks Mines where they boarded a mercy flight and were evacuated to Georgetown. It took them several hours before they were able to get to Hicks Landing, arriving there around 4:00 hrs.

They were picked up at the Ogle International Airport and transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital by ambulance.
They were all in stable condition yesterday.
Stephens, who resides at Kaburi Village, 72 Miles Bartica, Potaro, is the survivor who bore the brunt of the injuries. He recalls he has been living in the gold mining interior since he was about 16 , but has never before had such an experience. “It was my worst nightmare since living in the interior and I wouldn’t like to experience it again,” he said.

(By Shirley Thomas)

 
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