Timehri Army Base explosion leaves 3 dead, 2 injured – Second such incident in two months

May 01, 2020 News

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By Shikema Dey

Less than three months after a similar incident resulting in the death of one officer and the injury of three others, the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) lost three of its own yesterday, after a massive pyrotechnics explosion occurred in the ammunition depot at Camp Stephenson, Timehri, with two other soldiers suffering injuries.

Dead are Lance Corporal Kevon Nicholson, 23, of Levi Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam; Lance Corporal Toohey Peneux, 28,of Orealla Village, Corentyne River and Private Shaquille DeHarte, 20, of Paradise Village, West Coast Berbice. All three were killed instantly.
Sergeant Quincy Threlfell, 43, and Lance Corporal Paul Peters, 29, were also injured. Threlfell was air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remains in a critical condition while Peters was treated for minor burns and other injuries at the base.
According to sources, the fiery explosion occurred around 9am, sending persons nearby scattering for cover. Thick, black smoke enveloped the camp and fire tenders were immediately summoned on site.
After the flames cleared, the ranks were greeted with a grim scene. From graphic images seen by this publication, the explosion blasted flesh from bone and left one rank with a gaping hole to his chest. The men’s faces were burnt beyond recognition and uniforms were burnt to a crisp.
Chaos and confusion
It was chaos and confusion at the Georgetown Public Hospital after families received the devastating news of their loved ones’ untimely demise. Loud crying and wailing were heard from relatives of the victims, and even strangers were crying as a result of the sad news.

When contacted, Melissa DeHarte, mother of Private DeHarte was unable to hide her emotions as she described how she heard of the tragic news.
“I think as the mother I was the last person to know that my son died. I got the news after ten [AM], after it was already put on social media. His picture was also there.”

 

Private DeHarte was the eldest of his six siblings. According to Ms. DeHarte, after receiving the news of her son’s death she started to pray, asking the Lord to provide her with strength to make it through.
“He was the best child a mother could ask for,” Ms. DeHarte said, “He started working in the army about 3 years ago…I just can’t believe that he is gone. For the past three weeks he did not come home because he had to be in base.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Kaieteur News, Laddy Peneux, father of Lance-Corporal Peneux, stated that he was informed of his son’s tragic end by his son-in-law.
“I spoke with him the night before he died,” Mr. Peneux told this paper“and the last thing he told me is that I should go and collect money because he sent a small piece for me. Toohey is my baby, he is my last child, seeing him go like this is sad. His mother is crying all the time.”
No training nor protective gear
An official release from the GDF stated that the deceased trio was involved in the preparation of “pyrotechnics for demolition” when tragedy took place, while information from what a source says is a preliminary report, indicates that carelessness during the exercise may have been the cause of the explosion.

The report stated the building where the explosion occurred is a flat concrete structure divided into two sections. One section houses the ammunition and explosive depot while the other is the firearms depot.
According to that report, the dead ranks were a part of 4 Engineer Battalion, with the exercise being headed by Sgt Threlfell from 5 Service Battalion. The pyrotechnic they were involved in handling at the time of the explosion was ‘Active Galaxy’, a rocket -shaped firework. An online search for fireworks carrying the same brand showed it being produced and available online for sale by FireOne Fireworks FX, a pyrotechnics company operating out of Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago.
Photographs of the firework featured on the company’s website showed a squat pyrotechnic with a short stick protruding from the bottom, meant to be stuck in the ground before ignition. The report said that “one of the ranks (Peneux) was using his feet to break off the stick of the rocket shaped firework device when an explosion occurred.”
Questions arise about the safety procedures and precaution taken during the exercise. From pictures seen by this paper, there was no evidence of protective gear worn by the officers. Indeed, Laddy Peneux’ main concern is why his son or the other soldiers were not wearing protective gears, even though his son is a member of the bomb squad. According to Melissa DeHarte, her son also apparently had no experience in handling explosives.
“I don’t know why he was near to the explosives cause to the best of my knowledge he was not trained to deal with such,” she told this paper.
It was unclear what existing procedures there are for the handling and demolition of pyrotechnics, and whether these were followed at the time of the incident. What was also unclear was the reason for demolition of the fireworks. This publication sought clarity from the Guyana Defence Force in an email but up to press time, no reply was sent.
Message of Condolence
In a message released from his office, President David Granger, expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the relatives and friends of the three soldiers and wished the injured ranks a speedy recovery. It also noted that the Force has launched a Board of Inquiry (BoI) into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
This has been the second deadly explosion for the Guyana Defense Force. On February 22nd, the Force lost Corporal Seon Rose in a similar incident. That explosion occurred at the Coast Guard Base wharf in Ruimveldt, while a 21-member team from the GDF Artillery Unit was offloading fireworks from a pontoon onto a nearby truck, meant to be used during the Republic Anniversary fireworks display later that evening.
While the men were unloading the explosives, a spontaneous ignition reportedly occurred, resulting in the massive explosion. Rose took the brunt of the blast and suffered severe burns to 90% of his body, along with trauma injuries. He also suffered a heart attack while receiving treatment, survived it, but passed away the next day.
A BoI was conducted into that incident; however the findings are yet to be publicized.
(Additional reporting by Stacy Peters)

 

 

 

 

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