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Brazilian diver perishes in Konawaruk River
Manoel Francisco Costa Filo
– Guyanese family left penniless
Yet another miner has lost his life in Guyana’s goldfields. This time it is 45-year old Brazilian Manoel Francisco Costa Filo, whose body was pulled from the deep waters of the Konawaruk River sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, last.
Costa Filo had been pinned by a huge pile of debris while diving. But his death has left his Guyanese reputed wife Satwantie Harpaul and four children, ages ranging from 14 to four years old, in great strife.
The Brazilian has been living in Guyana for the past 18 years during which time he met Harpaul.
The couple lived together for almost 15 years at their 192 Ramsingh Street Annandale, East Coast Demerara home, where they raised their four children, Francinettte, 14; Abraham, 12; Emanuel, 9 and four-year-old Davi.
According to Harpaul her husband, who supplied fuel to dredge owners, had left for the interior in October to carry on his normal business. However, the woman said that many of his customers owed him money and he was in a difficult financial position.
“He called me and I went up Saturday gone and he told me that plenty people owe he, and he gon go and work to get money to send for me and the children,” Harpaul told this newspaper.
Costa Filo then went to work with one of his countrymen on a river dredge as a diver.
It was while diving that tragedy struck.
According to Harpaul, the wife of the owner of the dredge informed her that a huge chunk of debris caved in on her husband and pinned him under the water.
The dead Brazilian’s grieving wife Satwantie Harpaul and their four children.
It took his colleagues about 45 minutes to free him and by that time Costa Filo was dead.
Harpaul said that she heard reports that the man who was holding Costa Filo’s lifeline said that he noticed that he was getting no response from him, so he decided to call up the other diver.
“From 1:30 to three o’clock he get signal from Manoel and after dat he nah get no signal. He seh he shake de hose and call up de next man. De two ah dem go down and search and dey feel de thing pon he back and dem feel he down in de sand. Dem tek 45 minutes fuh bring he up,” Harpaul told this newspaper.
According to the woman, her husband’s employer had visited her and subsequently took her into the interior after informing her of the tragedy.However she only went as far as Mahdia where the body was eventually brought out. “When she (employer) come by me I had no suspicion that something had happened to me husband because I lef he good on Sunday,” Harpaul told this newspaper.
But Harpaul is not satisfied with the way the matter is being handled. She claimed that no police rank had visited the scene although they had promised to do so.
Costa Filo’s body was brought out from the interior by his colleagues and subsequently brought to the city yesterday where a post mortem is expected to be performed today.
Harpaul told this newspaper that her husband’s employer has promised to give her her husband’s salary which amounts to $22,000 dollars in addition bearing the cost of transporting his body to the city.
“She (employer) tell me dat when she bring de body to town she nah gat nothing more fuh do with it. Den me husband dead fuh a measly $22,000 dollars. Wha me gon mind he children with?” the woman said.
“Me husband had a dredge and a man dead while wukkin with he. He sell he dredge fuh tek care of everything fuh de man including burying he,” she added.
She has since visited the Ministry of Labour with a view to seeking some sort of compensation from her husband’s employer.
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