Guyana: 3 dead in fiery head-on collision between two lorries on Soesdyke-Linden Highway

Guyana: A tragic head-on collision occurred between two motor lorries on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, at the Loo Creek Public Road in Guyana, on Tuesday afternoon, claiming the lives of three people.

According to reports, two of the three victims have been identified. One victim is 73-year-old Lional Campbell, a resident of Kuru Kuru village located along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. The other identified victim is a Venezuelan native named Meli. The collision occurred around 12:30 p.m. and it resulted in one of the vehicles catching fire and burning into flames.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that the crash involved two motor lorries: GAG 313, owned by Mohamed Construction Incorporated and driven by 29-year-old Venezuelan national Carlos Yasmanie, and GXX 1546, owned by Trishan Grimmond and driven by Lional Campbell.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken emphasized in the statement that at the time of the collision the feed-laden lorry was enroute to Linden while the other lorry was coming from the opposite direction. 

Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported that the motor lorry was travelling north at high speed and tried to overtake a motorcar when it collided head-on with the southbound lorry. The collision caused the canter to flip multiple times before it came to halt and caught fire. 

It was further said that the driver of the lorry GAG 313 managed to escape the wreckage but his wife identified as ‘Meli” was trapped inside the burning vehicle and was burned to death before rescue efforts could reach her. 

Another individual, believed to be Yasmanie, the driver of one of the motor lorries and a survivor, was pulled from the burning truck by bystanders. He sustained severe injuries, including a broken left leg and multiple lacerations. He was immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was reported to be in stable condition, confirmed by the eyewitness who asked his identity to be kept private. 

The witness also said that the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) arrived quickly on the scene, where the victims were pronounced dead. The bodies were then transferred to the Pensioners' Mortuary in Linden for a post-mortem examination.