Georgetown – Police have confirmed that three people died following an explosion aboard a coastal fuel tanker at a wharf at Friendship, East Bank Demerara while gasoline was being pumped out of the vessel into plastic bottles.
“At the time there were no maintenance works being conducted on the said vessel. It appears that the deceased were pumping gasoline from the sediment or reserve of the fuel tank,” the police said in a statement on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred aboard the vessel named ‘Canada Club’.
The police have identified those killed as 60-year-old Seepersaud Persaud, a boat captain of Bee Hive, Essequibo Coast; Mark Mangal and 29-year-old Damion Dias, a sailor of Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara.
The authorities said that the bodies were discovered after the fire had been extinguished. The police said that they found what seemed to be yellow bottles of gasoline in the captain’s car trunk.
“As a result, checks were made in the boat captain’s motorcar . . . which revealed five six-gallon bottles and one five-gallon bottle with suspected gasoline which were found in the trunk of the said motorcar,” the police said.
Investigators were informed that Canada Club had delivered a shipment of diesel and gasoline at Guyoil Adventure, Essequibo Coast Friday, June 25 and returned to the wharf at Friendship.
“About 16:40 hrs a loud explosion was heard coming from the direction of the vessel. Thereafter smoke and fire was seen emanating from the bow of the vessel. As a result, the Diamond Fire Service was summoned to the scene and went into action immediately and fire was extinguished,” the police added. (CMC)
