Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Woman seriously injured after gas bottle explodes in shop
A badly burnt Jaiwantie Samaroo
By Shervin Belgrave
Kaieteur News – A businesswoman spent her 50th birthday hospitalised suffering second and third degree burns after a gas bottle exploded and destroyed her shop on August 1 at New Scheme, Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
The businesswoman Jaiwantie Samaroo was only discharged from hospital on Tuesday and is presently staying with relatives at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). Her condition is regarded as serious. Her husband, Randolph Pereira is counting their losses estimated to be in the millions and conducting the necessary repairs to their home and business.
He recalled that he and his son were heading downstairs when the explosion took place. “My phone rang while heading downstairs and I stopped at the doorway to attend to the call and my son was behind me so he stopped too” Pereira said while explaining that the phone call might have saved him and his son’s lives. He related that the shop’s concrete walls would have covered them had they gone down one minute earlier. Following the explosion, he rushed to find his wife badly burnt.
Pereira said that she was not feeling too well that morning but had gotten up from her bed and went downstairs to make some tea. When she attempted to light her stove, there was a loud explosion.
Samaroo and Pereira’s shop in rubble
“Wa she told me is that as soon as she light the stove and the explosion went off, she was pitched into a corner… the explosion just pitched her into a corner, the roof went off, all the shutters in front flew off, fly till over the road almost into the neighbour’s yard”.
A cell phone recorded video of the scene showed that the extent of the destruction of the couple’s shop. Goods were damaged and debris scattered about their yard. It resembled the scene of a bombing that Jaiwantie Samaroo miraculously survived. One neighbour recalled hearing the explosion too and described it as massive. He went over to render some assistance. “The thing even blow off the padlock from their gate”, he told Kaieteur News. The neighbour recounted that when he got to the scene, he learnt that Samaroo’s clothes had caught fire during the explosion but she was able to take them off quickly and cover herself with a large T-shirt. An ambulance was summoned and Samaroo was rushed to a hospital where she was admitted.
In pain
Speaking with Kaieteur News on Thursday, Samaroo said she is feeling better but still in a lot of pain. “It paining, it paining bad bad,” she said in tears while adding that she had plans to celebrate her 50th birthday in grand style the following day. “Invite ma family dem and cook because we don’t drink,” she told Kaieteur News as she recollected the tragedy of almost losing her life on August 1.
Meanwhile, the Fire Service has launched an investigation but to date, no follow-ups with Samaroo or her family was done. “Regarding the investigation with the Fire Service, nobody never call me, nobody never revisit me,” Samaroo’s husband, Randolph Pereira said.
The gas bottle that reportedly exploded
It is believed that a ‘Tex Gas’ bottle belonging to Massy Gas might have caused the explosion. Following the blast, they noted that the bottle was very cold and frothing. The stove was reportedly turned off when Samaroo attempted to light it, so they suspect that the gas bottle was faulty and might have been leaking in the woman’s enclosed kitchen area all night filling up the shop with fumes. “So when she spark the lighter, it was like a waiting bomb”, Pereira opined. The Fire Service is yet to wrap up investigation to determine if indeed this was the case.
Pereira related that Massy Gas, the company that owns the gas bottle sent five representatives to his home on Tuesday but were more concerned about removing the gas bottle rather than the wellbeing of his wife. “They refused to come upstairs and see my wife”, claimed Pereira. Kaieteur News reached out to Massy Gas for some clarity on the claims made by Pereira. The company agreed to comment and promised to return a call when an authorised spokesperson is available but up press time, Kaieteur News was still awaiting that call.
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