Autopsy completed on bodies of soldiers killed in explosion at GDF base

Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh has completed the post-mortem examinations on the bodies of the three soldiers who were killed in an explosion last Thursday at the Timehri base of the Guyana Defence Force.

Dr. Singh ruled that all three men died from multiple injuries as a result of the blast, the Guyana Police Force reported.

The soldiers were preparing pyrotechnic material for destruction when the explosion was triggered, pitching their bodies about the compound of the army base.

All three soldiers, 23-year-old Lance Corporal Kevon Nicholson, 28-year-old Lance Corporal Tooney Peneux, and 20-year-old Private Shaqueel Deheart were killed on the spot.

Their clothes were burnt off their bodies and their faces and upper body were completely scorched.

Two other soldiers were injured in the explosion.

The Guyana Defence Force has since launched a Board Inquiry into the incident.

This was the second time within two months that a pyrotechnic blast resulted in fatalities for the military.

Back in February, one soldier was killed and at least eight others injured as they were preparing pyrotechnic material for a fireworks display.

A Board of Inquiry was also launched after that incident. That inquiry reportedly recommended the destruction of all the remaining pyrotechnic material.

News Source understands that there is growing concern and unease in the Guyana Defence Force about the storage and removal of pyrotechnic and other explosive type material that have been locked away for years.

A senior military source has expressed concern to News Source that there is the storage of a large quantity of similar material at another military base that was the scene for a similar explosion several years ago. That explosion also claimed a number of lives.