–one body recovered, another still missing

POLICE are investigating a tragic incident that occurred early Friday morning at the St Elizabeth Backdam, Potaro, resulting in the death of a miner while another has been reported missing.
The incident took place around 02:30 hrs and involved Sherwayne Joseph, a 26-year-old miner, and Imran Blake, a 19-year-old miner from Kuru Kuru village on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
According to initial reports, Joseph and Blake were employed by John Burrowes, a 38-year-old dredge owner from 111 Miles, Mahdia. The two miners were part of a team working the night shift on Burrowes’ eight-inch land dredge mining operation in the remote backdam area.

Enquiries revealed that Joseph, Blake, and three other workers were inside a mining pit when disaster struck. A co-worker, who was stationed nearby, recounted hearing a sudden rumbling noise before noticing that a section of the land had broken away and started to fall into the pit.
The soil began cascading into the pit, quickly burying everything in its path.

Realising the imminent danger, the co-worker sounded an alarm, alerting those within the pit. While three of the workers managed to escape, Joseph and Blake were not as fortunate.
The falling soil completely submerged the two miners, burying them beneath the earth.
One body has been recovered from the site. The search continues for the second miner.