An underground gas pocket exploded at a residence in Diamond, East Bank Demerara on Thursday afternoon when construction workers were drilling a hole for “domestic” purposes.
The incident occurred about 17:30h at Lot 1200 Section A, Block X, Great Diamond. The house is located in a cross street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
An official from the Fire Service told Guyana Times that the owner of the house was drilling a hole for “domestic use” (reportedly a well) when the workers hit the gas pocket causing the explosion.
The family was immediately ordered to vacate the property, but they returned later and were seen talking to officials from the Fire Service and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.
According to residents, the gas was spraying as high as 200 feet into the air for about an hour and a half.
“After the gas stopped, a water and mud mixture started shooting up, but it stopped for like a 15 minutes and was barely spewing up. Then this thick mud substance start shooting up,” one resident said.
When this publication visited the scene, the murky substance was spraying about 20 to 30 feet into the air.
As the spillage continued late into the night, a shed attached to the house was torn down and the building began shaking heavily.
As news of the incident spread, persons from the area began flocking the scene, with some complaining that the explosion was heard from some distance. A few years ago, a similar incident occurred in the Grove section of the scheme while homeowners were drilling a water well.
