Tragedy at Georgetown Wharf: Four dead after exposure to suspected toxic fumes

Guyana: In a shocking development, four men have died after suspected chemical exposure while they were aboard a cargo barge which was docked at a wharf on Water Street in Georgetown, Guyana. The incident took place on Wednesday around 6:30 pm.

The victims have been identified as Nerwaine Persaud, 57, a boat captain of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara; Brandon Deonarine, 18, a seaman of Support, East Bank Demerara; Getindra Sanchara, 25, an engineer of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara and Dominic Alexis, 33, a seaman of De Kendren, West Coast Demerara.

The preliminary investigations following the incident revealed that the men were inspecting a dry space within the engine room which was located in the lower section of the vessel where the men were reportedly exposed to suspected noxious fumes which resulted in them being collapsed aboard the boat. Soon after this, an alarm was raised by other crew members following which the Guyana Fire Service along with Emergency Medical Technicians responded to the scene.

The men were immediately removed from the scene and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where they were pronounced dead on arrival by the doctor on duty. As of now, the bodies are at the mortuary of the hospital awaiting autopsy examinations.

It is being understood that initially just two men were inside the location where the incident took place and soon after they collapsed, another one rushed to his rescue however he also lost consciousness and in an final effort to rescue these three men, 25-year-old engineer Sanchara ran down into the engine room but he too collapsed.

During the investigation, a 66-year-old Seamen told the investigators that when he tried to go down to help, he immediately felt stiffness in his chest which made him feel difficulty in breathing and as he was fearing for his life, he retreated to the deck and ran to the radio room where then he made an immediate call for help.

It has been further revealed that the engine room could not be immediately processed by the investigators as it was declared an unsafe zone. As of now, investigations into the tragic incident are still going on with police assuring that further updates will be provided as they become available.