No trace of missing BOSAI employee, bulldozer uncovered in mine
More than 24 hours after Neptrid Hercules and the equipment he was operating were pulled underground by quicksand at BOSAI Minerals in Linden, there has been no sign of the man.
At the time of the incident, Hercules was operating a bulldozer to push back slush and soil when a wall broke away. As such, he was caught in the quicksand which swallowed him and the bulldozer.
Upon seeing this, other mine workers went into rescue mode but despite digging for hours, neither the man’s body nor the bulldozer was in sight. The search continued on Sunday but there was no success.
BOSAI officials related that metal detectors were taken to the site to assist the search team but the man’s colleagues fear that due to the depth of the area, recovery will not be easy.
Relatives of the missing man are calling for a full investigation of the incident but more so, an investigation to ascertain if the company’s operations and its safety systems are being followed.
Hercules, a resident of Block 22, worked at the bauxite company for 42 years and was set to retire in October. He was the sole breadwinner for his family. His wife only recently passed away.