-Family was camping out to stay safe from COVID-19

TRAGEDY struck a family of eight who were camping out at Kambaru Backdam, Upper Mazaruni, to avoid contact with the novel coronavirus.
On Thursday evening, two of the family members were killed by a fallen tree.

Dead is 54-year old Desiree John, a farmer, and her 9-year-old granddaughter, Cindy John. Another granddaughter, 7-year-old Faiah John, sustained injuries but survived the incident.
The woman’s husband, Benneth John, her daughter, Romelia John, a toddler and two other children also survived the incident. They escaped with minor injuries.
Reports are that around 18:30 hrs while the family was having dinner, the tree fell during heavy winds, pinning Desire, Cindy and Faiah.

Benneth was able to move the branches and retrieve the bodies of his wife and granddaughters from the rubble. Cindy was pronounced dead on arrival at the Imbaimadai Health Post on Friday while the woman died around 11:30hrs on the said day.

The Regional Chairman, Gordon Bradford, expressed his sympathy to the remaining family members. He said that the family moved from their home in Kambaru front, to camp out at a two-hour distance in the backdam, so as to keep themselves safe from coronavirus.
In the backdam where they were, they would do their farming and sustain their family, while keeping themselves safe.

“And the tree just came down without notice or warning. No one saw this coming,” Bradford said.
The bodies are at Imbaimadai Health Post and Faiah is also there receiving treatment for her injuries.
The incident is being investigated by the authorities.