Demerara River Bridge accident: Body of Chinese national is recovered by coast guards

The body of Fu-jian Wei, a 39-year-old Chinese national, was recovered from the Demerara River on Friday, at about 09:55h by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard.
Wei had fallen overboard on Wednesday while offloading materials from a barge at the construction site. The current of the river carried him downstream, and despite immediate search and rescue operations by the contractor’s emergency response team, as well as assistance from the Coast Guard and police, his body had not been located until Friday.

Following the retrieval, the remains were transferred to the GDF for preliminary investigations before being sent to Ezekiel Funeral Home in Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, has extended his condolences to Wei’s family, friends, and colleagues.
“This is a deeply unfortunate incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Mr Wei’s loved ones. The Government is committed to ensuring that all safety measures are enforced and will work with the contractor to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he stated.
The Public Works Ministry has also directed the contractor to review safety procedures and strengthen them as needed for the remainder of the project. A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.
The Labour Ministry recently reported a sharp increase in workplace fatalities in 2024, with 32 recorded deaths, marking a 60 per cent rise from 2023.

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton disclosed during a press conference that the majority of these fatalities occurred in high-risk sectors such as mining and construction. Efforts to combat these incidents have included the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, which conducted over 1,300 inspections nationwide, including nine offshore inspections.
Despite these measures, the rise in fatalities shows the persistent challenges in enforcing safety compliance. In addition to addressing workplace deaths, the Ministry investigated 144 non-fatal accidents in 2024, with most incidents reported in the agriculture sector.
The Minister noted that, while non-fatal accidents saw a slight decline, workplace deaths remain a significant concern. Initiatives like training specialists for inspections on FPSO vessels and construction outreach programmes are among the measures being implemented to improve workplace safety and reduce fatalities. (G9)