Several workers who were infected with a viral ailment at a manganese mining operation at Matthew’s Ridge, have been air dashed to the city on Monday afternoon.

Reports are that the men, most of them Chinese nationals , were flown out of the North West District area from the area via a Roraima Airways flight.The six patients were taken to a quarantined area at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The men were experiencing pains about their bodies including fever ,shortness of breath, high body temperatures.

The patients now total thirteen who have been brought to the city for treatment. On Saturday , seven patients were flown to the city from the area ; one of the men died on Saturday, several days after he was taken to the Pekera Hospital at Matthew’s Ridge.

Reports are that the men were taken to the area from the town of Linden to work as labourers at the Manganese mines by their employer, BOSAI Minerals. They were working at one of four tunnels at the mining site called “Rail Ends.” The tunnels have been in existence since the 1970s when manganese was first mined at Matthew’s Ridge.

The men were exposed to mosquitoes while cleaning bat droppings from the tunnel, persons at community related.

In a media release issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Public Health indicated that as of Saturday evening medical specialists were still conducting “a battery of tests” to identify the virus blamed for the manganese miner’s death and the hospitalisation of others.

According to the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence “there is no determination (as yet) of what the ailment is but all the patients displayed similar symptoms.”

A team of officials including a pathologist, a senior environmental health officer, a mortuary attendant and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specialist were expected to visit the manganese mining site on Sunday.