Intoxicated man killed after walking into spinning propellers of aircraft

…“His chest was sliced opened” – eyewitness

Tragedy struck on Friday afternoon at the Kamarang Airstrip in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) after a young labourer walked into the swirling propeller of a Cessna Caravan which had just landed.

Nigel Rodrigues, 27, died on the spot after the blades from an Air Services Limited (ASL) plane completely sliced open his chest.
Rodrigues, of Waramadong village, Region Seven, was about to assist in offloading cargo from the plane when the horrific incident occurred at around 14:55h.

According to information released by the Police, the man was employed by ASL as a porter/cargo handler at the Kamarang Landing.
Police explained that earlier in the day, the porter was imbibing and when the plane landed, he stumbled into the propeller.
“Investigations revealed that the man was imbibing at the Kamarang Landing, when Caravan 8R GFA piloted by a 55-year-old male pilot, landed at the airstrip and before the pilot could properly shut-off the engine, the victim walked in front of the plane’s propeller which chopped him severely about his body causing his internal organs to protrude,” Police Headquarters related in a statement.
Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Stan Gouveia, when contacted, also confirmed that the victim was drunk at the time of the accident.
ASL’s Accountable Manager Captain Emil Jahan, however, told Guyana Times that the aircraft bearing registration number 8R-GFA, had already landed and was “coming to a safe stop in the parking area” when the individual “accidentally ran into the spinning propeller”.
Persons at the scene recalled seeing the man falling to the ground and blood oozing from his battered body.
One eyewitness who spoke to this newspaper said the man’s ribcage was sliced opened and his organs were visible. “His chest was sliced completely open. People could have seen his heart taking its last couple of beats,” the eyewitness recalled.
The man’s body was transported to the Kamarang Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.
Meanwhile, ASL said it is cooperating with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) with the investigation.