Body of second miner recovered following St. Elizabeth Backdam pit collapse
Authorities have confirmed that the body of the second miner who went missing after a mining pit collapsed at St. Elizabeth Backdam in Region Seven, has been recovered.
The incident, which occurred in the wee hours of Friday, claimed the lives of 26-year-old Sherwayne Joseph and 19-year-old Imran Blake.
Joseph’s body was recovered not long after the incident, while Blake was discovered motionless hours later under the rubble.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported on Saturday that the men were working for John Burrowes, a 38-year-old dredge owner, at his eight-inch land dredge mining operation.
Joseph, Blake, and seven other workers were working the night shift, which cuts into the morning period.
At about 02:30h, Joseph, Blake, and three other miners were inside a pit when a co-worker reportedly heard a rumbling sound and saw that land had started to collapse into the pit.
The worker raised an alarm, but the collapsing earth buried Joseph and Blake. The three other miners managed to escape unharmed.
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