Latest update January 23rd, 2025 7:40 AM
Second victim in Foulis gas-bottle explosion dies
…husband succumbs days after wife passed away
Kaieteur News- The second victim in a gas bottle-related explosion at Foulis, East Coast Demerara, 58-year-old Manu Sukhu, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Wednesday – three days after his wife, Basmattie Ganpat, who was also a victim of the explosion died.
Dead: Manu Sukhu and Basmattie Ganpat
Sukhu’s foster daughter, Sandyha Goolram, shared the tragic news with Kaieteur News on Wednesday afternoon. She explained that earlier in the day, hospital staff had informed her to prepare for Sukhu’s imminent passing. They reportedly told her, “He ain’t get more time left.” The family was later notified at 17:45 hrs that he had died.
Both Sukhu and his wife, Ganpat, succumbed to severe burns sustained in a gas bottle explosion on January 4, 2025, at their Fifth Street home in Foulis, East Coast Demerara. Goolram, who was at the hospital, also mentioned that she had gone to retrieve her mother’s post-mortem results, which revealed that Ganpat died from infected burns.
Ganpat, 55, and Sukhu, 58, were both admitted to the hospital on the day of the incident. Ganpat suffered burns to 80% of her body, while Sukhu sustained burns to 68% of his body. Goolram expressed the profound grief her family is facing, stating, “I’m crying, crying, crying. I don’t know what to do, I’m very hurt right now.” She also mentioned, “I went running around all day to prepare for mommy’s funeral for Saturday and now I hear this news too; it’s very heartbreaking… He (Sukhu) bin like she bad, my mother was a star.”
Describing the explosion, Goolram recalled receiving a message about a house fire and her mother being burned. Upon arriving at the scene, she saw extensive damage to the roof, lower flat, and kitchen. Goolram believes the explosion was caused by a gas leak from a Massy Gas cylinder, as her mother had smelled gas before lighting the stove. “Somebody told me they were smelling the gas… but she still went ahead to light the stove,” she said.
The damage to the house is estimated to exceed one million dollars, and Goolram pointed out that renovations had been completed only a year ago. As the family now focuses on organizing the funerals for both Ganpat and Sukhu, they have yet to decide whether to pursue legal action against the gas company. As of now, the gas company has not reached out to the family.
(Second victim in Foulis gas-bottle explosion dies)
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