Natural gas eruption causes panic in Diamond

A scene from the eruption Friday morning

Georgetown: Shock waves were experiences through Block X, Diamond, East Bank of Demerara Thursday evening after a natural gas explosion emanated from underground at a yard in 6th Avenue.

The explosive and booming sounds that were heard for several hours, Soownauth Gorakh, the home owner, who was reportedly having a well drilled in his backyard, was nowhere to be seen.

Civil Defence Commission Director General Lt. Col. Kester Craig, police, fire service as well as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials have visited the scene to ensure the safety of nearby residents, since there was little they could do to contain the substances that were spewing from a large hole in the ground.

The substances that were coming from the hole, reached tens of feet into the air. The house in the yard and everything else was covered with mud; the concrete fence on the eastern section collapsed under the pressure of the accumulated slush that rapidly built up. Houses all around were covered in the substance, and a number of residents had gathered outside, after they heard the loud thunderous sounds.

Mr Gorakh, who neighbours say has a water business in the Diamond area, had hired a contractor to drill a well in his yard – most likely in the hope of creating an independent source from the Guyana Water Inc.

The plan obviously did not work out the way Mr Gorakh would have hoped, since the damage witnessed at the scene could be estimated in the millions.

A number of residents could be heard complaining, since they were worried what the subsequent consequences could be. After the vibrations were felt, all the surrounding neighbours had vacated their houses, since this was a phenomenon many had never witnessed in their lifetime.

Some years ago, a similar eruption occurred in the same area at Diamond.