THE gold-mining community in Region Two has been plunged into deep mourning after news spread that Marques Cornelius, 29, lost his life, after a tree fell on him. The incident occurred around 10:00 hours on Monday in the Big Hope, Waini, Region One district.

Cornelius at the time of his death was general manager of Singh’s Mining Operations. According to the owner of Singh’s Mining, Deleep Singh, he received a call from his son, Navin Singh about the incident around 11:00 hours. Some men were clearing large bushes in the Waini area when the incident occurred.

Singh said his son called to inform him that a tree fell on Cornelius. Workers attached to the mining camp tried to free the general manager but their efforts proved futile.

Singh described the accident as unfortunate and said his company will take full responsibility for all funeral expenses.  Efforts are currently being made to uplift the body, through Supenaam, using the Buckhall Terrain.

Cornelius has been working with Singh’s Mining for the past 15 years and was described as a dedicated worker. According to the mother of the deceased, Eva Adams, her son left for the backdam about three weeks ago.

He was the youngest of her children. She thanked the owner of Singh’s operation for taking prompt action in bringing out her son’s body from the interior. The matter was reported to the police and other relevant authorities. The deceased was a father of one and resided at Charity on the Essequibo Coast.