BOSAI operator, equipment found under some 100ft overburden

After four days of search and excavation at the BOSAI Minerals site in Linden, Region 10, the body of Neptrid Hercules and the equipment that he was operating were finally discovered under an estimated 100 feet of overburden.

Hercules was consumed by quicksand on Saturday at the site after working with the company for over four decades. His body was found in the East Montgomery Mine area, the same location he was working when the tragedy struck.
The Home Affairs Ministry stated that a collaborative effort between the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the BOSAI Minerals Search and Rescue Team located the area, where it was suggested that Hercules and the equipment were buried.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn was on the scene on Tuesday and he is said to be pivotal in the discovery of both the missing operator and the bulldozer. He also met with the family of the man, BOSAI’s General Manager, and Police Commander Hugh Winter at the worksite.

Guyana Times understands that following the discovery, relatives of the dead man were summoned to an urgent meeting with the company. In addition, from all indications, the man’s body was already in a state of decomposition.
On Monday, Prime Minister, (ret’d) Brigadier Mark Phillips; Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat visited the site and spoke with family members who were waiting for word.
Edghill said an active investigation was ongoing at the Labour Ministry with multi-agency collaboration to make headway.

Public Relations Officer at BOSAI, Sherry Domer informed that the incident occurred at about 04:00h on Saturday. Hercules was operating a bulldozer. The operator and the equipment were observed missing. It was reported Hercules and the dozer fell into a pit and were covered. A search and rescue team was deployed and the family was immediately informed and brought to the site.
Manual probing using steel rods was done in a bid to locate the machinery. Two hydraulic excavators were sent to remove overburden along with metal detectors. Due to risks of secondary movement on Saturday night, the search team ceased its pursuit.
GGMC personnel arrived on the site with a highly-advanced magnetic device on Sunday, which detected strong indication of metal mass some 15 metres below the surface. The company was advised to use excavators to remove debris, which continued on Monday morning. The search continued until Tuesday, when Hercules’ body was found. Currently, all operations at the mines are suspended. (G-12)