3 die after fuel tanker explodes in Demerara River

Three persons on Saturday afternoon lost their lives after there was an explosion on a fuel vessel at the Friendship Wharf, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
Dead are Seenarine Persaud, Mark Mangal and Damon Denia.
When contacted, Commander of Division 4B Mahendra Siwnarine confirmed the deaths but said that further details were not available up to press time.
Reports are the dead men were working on the vessel named “Canada Club” between 16:30h and 17:30h, when the explosion occurred.
Following the incident, Commander Siwnarine said the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and other officials were summoned to the scene, where an investigation was launched.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar told Guyana Times that the vessel is a coastal one, which would usually transport fuel around Guyana.
“…MARAD inspectors are on the ground, the Guyana Fire Service are also on the ground to ascertain the reason for the explosion,” the Minister explained.
This publication was also reliably informed that the tanker is a privately-owned vessel that belongs to a Guyanese businessman of West Coast Demerara (WCD). The man is said to have been delivering fuel around Guyana for a number of years.
It is still unclear as to what would have caused the explosion; however, the immediate investigation that has been launched is expected to determine the origin as soon as possible.