Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 March 2023, 14:35 by Denis Chabrol
Heavy duty machinery working at the incident site where Neptrid Hercules and a bulldozer fell into a bauxite pit at Montgomery Mine, Linden,
Three days after a bulldozer toppled into a bauxite mining pit at BOSAI’s East Montgomery Mine in Linden, the body of the operator was Tuesday afternoon retrieved, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton said.
Missing was 59-year old Neptrid Hercules.
The Minister told Demerara Waves Online News that the bulldozer was first located and then Hercules’ body was found. “At least, now, the family can have closure, the fact that the body has been found,” Mr Hamilton said.
The Labour Minister said the equipment that was taken to the incident site by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) aided in the recovery efforts.
According to Mr Hamilton, it was too early to give BOSAI Minerals approval to resume operations. “There are a lot of things that we have to take into consideration and whatever we have to do, we will do. Of course, we are working with the Geology and Mines Commission as a our partner in the investigation,” he said. The Minister said the key priority would be ensuring there is proper safety at the site, based on several reports that there needs to be improvement at BOSAI.
The management of BOSAI, the safety department of that company, workers who were on duty and other persons would be interviewed. “There are all kinds of suggestion about the unsafe nature of the place,” he said.
Hercules vanished while operating a CAT D9T Dozer at about 4 AM Saturday. He worked the night shift on Friday, March 10, 2023.
Government said that Hercules was operating the heavy duty machine on the overburden dump when he and the machine went missing.
On Saturday, recovery attempts got underway with the assistance of a number metal detectors, two hydraulic excavators, and hand probing with steel rod