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Disaster struck the Caroni community yesterday when one of the three Caroni Bailey Bridges spanning the Caroni River collapsed, killing one and injuring five others. Prime Minister Patrick Manning, in an immediate response, called on Works Minister Colm Imbert to produce a report on the matter within 24 hours.
Dead is Ramdath Bissoon, of Clarke Road, Penal. Bissoon was employed with Jagmohan Chandai Sawmill of Clarke Road, Penal. He operated a flat bed hydraulic hoister truck which was rented from his company by the Ministry of Works and Transport Highway Division to carry out work at the site.
One of the injured persons was identified as Don Connelly, 57, of Manzanilla and up to press time the four other injured persons remained unidentified.
According to a police report, shortly before 4 pm workers were carrying out dismantling works on the bridge, which is located west of the original orange-coloured Bailey bridge, when the incident occurred.
Police said it appeared that the middle of the bridge snapped, causing it to collapse, bringing down with it eight workers and two trucks  a white three-tonne truck owned by the Ministry and the hoister truck. Bissoon, who was pinned between the hoister truck and the iron railings of the Bailey Bridge was killed instantly while five other workers were injured.
The Ministry’s three-tonne truck was partly submerged in the Caroni River while the hoister flat bed truck remained perched on the northern side of the broken bridge close to the river bank.
Bissoon’s body was freed by fire officers of the Chaguanas Fire Station who quickly responded on the scene. The five injured employees were all whisked away to the Chaguanas Health Facility. Up to press time it was not revealed whether or not their conditions were critical.
Speaking with Sunday Newsday, one of the Ministry’s workers, Wayne Downing, who survived the freak accident said that it all happened very quickly. “All I know was that we were reversing the truck along the bridge when we heard a loud bang. Next thing I know we were in the river. When I do look I saw that the bridge had collapsed. I only had time to try and save myself, I couldn’t really see about helping my co-workers. I guess everyone was trying to help themselves. I am just glad that I came out alive. I feel sorry for the guy who died, I don’t really know him, it was the first time I was seeing him on the project.â€ÂÂÂÂÂÂ
Sunday Newsday was told that Bissoon was not supposed to be on that project site. In fact, Bissoon operated a ten-wheeler truck on another site but was told to hold on at the Caroni site today to operate the hydraulic hoister truck.
That Bailey bridge was erected to facilitate the construction of the new, ‘Mabey Delta Bridge’  officially known as the Southern Main Road B 1/3. That bridge spans 265 feet across the Caroni River.
Member of Parliament for St Augustine, Vasant Bharath, who arrived on the site shortly after he heard about the incident, described the incident as tragic and said he thought that it was too early to point fingers.
“It would be premature to blame anyone for this tragedy but I was told that the Ministry of Works contracted Jagmohan’s Sawmill. I don’t know why they would have contracted a sawmill to carry out works on the site but I am sure that the Ministry would have known what they were doing. I hope that under this tragic circumstances that we can learn from it,†Bharath said.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning, via a release sent out by his office, requested that the Minister of Works and Transport Colm Imbert conduct a preliminary investigation into the incident and submit to him a report within 24 hours.
Manning assured the general public that the incident is occupying the attention of the Gov-ernment and that it will be thoroughly examined within the shortest possible time. Efforts to reach Minister of Works and Transport, Colm Imbert for comment were futile.
Joint Consultative Council (JCC) president, Winston Riley, noting that the Bailey Bridge collapse had occurred against the backdrop of the new bridge being plagued with problems since its inception, called for a prompt and detailed investigation into the whole situation.
Dead is Ramdath Bissoon, of Clarke Road, Penal. Bissoon was employed with Jagmohan Chandai Sawmill of Clarke Road, Penal. He operated a flat bed hydraulic hoister truck which was rented from his company by the Ministry of Works and Transport Highway Division to carry out work at the site.
One of the injured persons was identified as Don Connelly, 57, of Manzanilla and up to press time the four other injured persons remained unidentified.
According to a police report, shortly before 4 pm workers were carrying out dismantling works on the bridge, which is located west of the original orange-coloured Bailey bridge, when the incident occurred.
Police said it appeared that the middle of the bridge snapped, causing it to collapse, bringing down with it eight workers and two trucks  a white three-tonne truck owned by the Ministry and the hoister truck. Bissoon, who was pinned between the hoister truck and the iron railings of the Bailey Bridge was killed instantly while five other workers were injured.
The Ministry’s three-tonne truck was partly submerged in the Caroni River while the hoister flat bed truck remained perched on the northern side of the broken bridge close to the river bank.
Bissoon’s body was freed by fire officers of the Chaguanas Fire Station who quickly responded on the scene. The five injured employees were all whisked away to the Chaguanas Health Facility. Up to press time it was not revealed whether or not their conditions were critical.
Speaking with Sunday Newsday, one of the Ministry’s workers, Wayne Downing, who survived the freak accident said that it all happened very quickly. “All I know was that we were reversing the truck along the bridge when we heard a loud bang. Next thing I know we were in the river. When I do look I saw that the bridge had collapsed. I only had time to try and save myself, I couldn’t really see about helping my co-workers. I guess everyone was trying to help themselves. I am just glad that I came out alive. I feel sorry for the guy who died, I don’t really know him, it was the first time I was seeing him on the project.â€ÂÂÂÂÂÂ
Sunday Newsday was told that Bissoon was not supposed to be on that project site. In fact, Bissoon operated a ten-wheeler truck on another site but was told to hold on at the Caroni site today to operate the hydraulic hoister truck.
That Bailey bridge was erected to facilitate the construction of the new, ‘Mabey Delta Bridge’  officially known as the Southern Main Road B 1/3. That bridge spans 265 feet across the Caroni River.
Member of Parliament for St Augustine, Vasant Bharath, who arrived on the site shortly after he heard about the incident, described the incident as tragic and said he thought that it was too early to point fingers.
“It would be premature to blame anyone for this tragedy but I was told that the Ministry of Works contracted Jagmohan’s Sawmill. I don’t know why they would have contracted a sawmill to carry out works on the site but I am sure that the Ministry would have known what they were doing. I hope that under this tragic circumstances that we can learn from it,†Bharath said.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning, via a release sent out by his office, requested that the Minister of Works and Transport Colm Imbert conduct a preliminary investigation into the incident and submit to him a report within 24 hours.
Manning assured the general public that the incident is occupying the attention of the Gov-ernment and that it will be thoroughly examined within the shortest possible time. Efforts to reach Minister of Works and Transport, Colm Imbert for comment were futile.
Joint Consultative Council (JCC) president, Winston Riley, noting that the Bailey Bridge collapse had occurred against the backdrop of the new bridge being plagued with problems since its inception, called for a prompt and detailed investigation into the whole situation.
