Lion Mountain accident claim five lives

AccidentGeorgetown: A team of investigators from the Bartica Police Station has travelled to Lion Mountain, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) on Sunday morning to investigate an accident that reportedly claimed the lives of five miners. The accident allegedly occurred on Thursday last.

The identities of the men reportedly killed in the accident have not yet been made available to the media.

The driver of the truck, which turned turtle, is refuting claims about the accident. He has been identified as Yasim Wilson, 26. He is presently a patient at the Suddie Hospital suffering from lacerations about his body and possible broken ribs.

Guyana Times understands that on the day of the accident, Wilson was driving a Bedford Model M truck loaded with fuel and workers. In the vicinity of the Lion Mountain, he allegedly lost control while descending a hill. The truck reportedly toppled several times before coming to halt. Twelve of the passengers managed to escape with minor injuries, while five were pinned under the vehicle.

There was no information available about the other men who were in the tray of the truck when the accident occurred. Guyana Times was told that the men were working for an Essequibo businessman, but a relative of the businessman has confirmed that none of their vehicles was involved in an accident lately.

Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford disclosed that he became aware of the accident via the media on Sunday morning soon after which he received a telephone call from the Officer in Charge of the Bartica Police Station informing him about the reports they received. A team of Police ranks, he noted, was immediately deployed to the area to investigate the fatal accident. At that point in time, he noted that the area was about 70 miles from Bartica and was very mountainous. He was not furnished with any details about the accident, noting that they remain sketchy.