70-year-old gold miner perishes in pit collapse

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 January 2025, 20:01 by Writer

A 70-year-old man, Emmanuel Jeffrey of Parika, East Bank Essequibo, died Tuesday afternoon when a gold mine at Thomas Island, Puruni River, collapsed and buried him for about one hour, the Guyana Police Force said.

Police said they visited the scene in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and were informed that Mr Jeffrey operated a four-inch land dredge at the backdam, working alongside two employees.

Investigators were informed that at the time of the incident, Mr Jeffrey and his coworkers were engaged in mining activities in a pit measuring 15 feet wide, 10 feet long, and 8 feet deep.

“During their work, the eastern side of the pit collapsed, which led to soil rushing in and completely burying Mr Jeffrey for approximately 60 minutes.

His coworkers excavated the site, and he was subsequently transported to Bartica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” police added.