23-year-old miner dies in Cuyuni pit collapse

The miner, Akeem Khan died on Sunday afternoon when a mining pit that he operated at Sand Hill Backdam in the Cuyuni river collapsed while he and another employee were working in the pit.

23-year-old miner dies in Cuyuni pit collapse

A 23-year-old miner from Bartica has become the latest victim of a mining pit accident, triggering yet another investigation by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Ministry of Labour.

The miner, Akeem Khan died on Sunday afternoon when a mining pit that he operated at Sand Hill Backdam in the Cuyuni river collapsed while he and another employee were working in the pit.

A police report stated that when the pit started to collapse, Khan and his 25-year-old employee started to run, but his feet got trapped in a jetting hose and he was quickly covered by the sand as the employee managed to run to safety and raise an alarm.

The Police said another miner from the area rushed to the scene and they started to dig the area where the young miner was covered.

It took about ten minutes for them to reach his body, which was motionless.  The body has since been transferred to the Bartica hospital for further investigation. 

Just last week, the Gold and Diamond Miners Association encouraged miners to put safer mining practices in place, following a number of deadly mining accidents in recent months.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login