See statement from the Guyana Police Force:
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Police are investigating an alleged incident involving Sherwayne Joseph, a 26-year-old Miner (address unknown) and Imran Blake, a 19-year-old Miner of Kuru Kuru village, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, which occurred at about 02:30 hrs (Friday) at St Elizabeth Backdam, Potaro in Region #8.
Enquiries revealed that both Joseph and Blake were working with one John Burrowes, a 38-year-old Dredge owner of 111 Miles Mahdia, on his eight-inch land dredge mining operation at the St Elizabeth Backdam.
Joseph, Blake and seven other workers were on the ‘night shift’. Joseph, Blake, and three other workers were in the pit when a co-worker said he heard a rumbling sound and noticed that land/soil had broken away and started to fall into the mining pit. The worker said he raised an alarm alerting the workers in the pit. However, the land covered Joseph and Blake and buried them beneath, while the other three workers in the pit managed to escape.
One of the bodies has been recovered so far. Investigations continue.