Clavor Paul, 20, a miner from Region Nine, died on Friday after the walls of a pit he was working in at St Elizabeth Backdam, Region Eight, caved in.
Paul, of St Ignatius Village, Central Rupununi, was at the time said to be operating a ‘marrock engine’ when the incident occurred.
A police report stated that at about 7 am on the day of the incident, Paul along with three other employees began working in a fifteen-foot mining pit. At around 8:30 am it was reported that a wall suddenly caved in covering Paul who was about 50 feet away.
His co-workers immediately attempted to retrieve him but were unsuccessful. His lifeless body was later found by a larger group of men at approximately 2:30 pm.
The deceased was examined for marks of violence and later transported to the Mahdia Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Ministry of Labour in a Facebook post stated, “Occupational Safety and Health Department (OSH) is collaborating with the Mines and Environmental Departments of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) in conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident.”
The mother of the deceased, Elsa Paul, stated that she last spoke to her son on Friday morning where he informed her that he would not be returning home for the holidays, but rather in April for his birthday.
The woman said that she was trying to cope with the death of her son and described him as a respectful, kind and quiet young man.
His funeral is scheduled to take place today.
Despite a range of measures by the authorities, miners continue to die in pit collapses. The relatively high price of gold has triggered an increase in mining in several parts of the country.
