Three persons have been hospitalised after a boiler at the Hack Rice Mill at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice (Region 5: Mahaica-Berbice) exploded on Thursday at about 15:30h.
Those injured are boiler operator Sukra Harrygobin, a 25-year-old resident of Bath Settlement, WCB; boiler operator Farad Uddin, a 19-year-old resident of Blairmont, West Bank Berbice; and Anthony Ramlochan, called ‘Booby’, a 20-year-old resident of Bush Lot, WCB.
Reports are that workers at the mill heard an explosion, and upon investigating found the three men with what appeared to be burns to their bodies. Harrygobin has said that immediately after the loud explosion, he felt pain and raised an alarm.
All three of these injured men were rushed to the nearby Fort Wellington Hospital, where it was revealed that Harrygobin had lost his left ankle and had suffered minor burns to his upper right chest; Ramlochan had received burns to more than 50 per cent of his body, and Uddin had received lacerations to his right leg.
The Labour Ministry has since commenced an investigation.
In December 2021, an 18-year-old labourer was crushed to death at this rice mill by a reversing truck being driven by a 24-year-old man.
