A 17-year-old boy of Barrackpore died yesterday when a hill he was excavating at a sand quarry collapsed on the hood of the excavator trapping him inside. He died on the spot. By the time workers used their hands and shovels to remove the mound of dirt and aggregate from the hood of the excavator to get to Shivnarine Manbodh he was crushed to death.
The incident happened at Rochard Road No 2. The truck driver, who was waiting for his truck to be loaded, received minor injuries. At the family’s home at Ridge Road, Barrackpore, his mother Zeeta and his siblings—Rangie, Nary and Hema—were inconsolable.
His mother said she was coming home from the eye clinic at the San Fernando General Hospital, excited to tell her son, who was better known as Navin, she had seen a stove and a refrigerator at Courts and they would purchase these items over this weekend. “My birthday is on March 2 and he promised to buy me a fridge and a stove. I told him okay we would put up together and buy it.
“But when I was at the hospital someone called me on my phone and tell me to come home quick. I said okay. I got another call and someone told me that my son was dead,” she said. Knowing that her son was working there and based on the calls she received, she kicked off her shoes and ran to the quarry where she saw her son lying on the sand, dead.
A report said Shivnarine, who was employed with a contractor, was operating the machine, removing sand from the hill and filling trucks. The contractor was said to be assisting the police with their investigations up to late yesterday evening. Supt Yusuf Gaffar and Cpl Beharry of the Barrackpore police are continuing investigations.