Three homes destroyed in mudslide at Linden

Dec 01, 2022 News

– Contractor was doing excavation work at the time of incident

Kaieteur News – A mudslide at Poker Street, Wismar, Linden on Wednesday morning has left three Pensioners homeless after their homes were destroyed.

One of the homes was completely pushed under the debris, while the other was damaged by the pressure of the slide.  The incident occurred around 11:00 hrs and residents heard a rumbling sound, before noticing the large quantity of land moving from the top of the hill to the bottom. An excavator operator who was at the time working on top of the hill was suspected to be trapped under the aggregates, however Private Contractor, Symon Harry, related that all workers are safe.

The aftermath of the mudslide in Poker Street, Linden

He related that the operators were at the time digging to locate a drain which he believed if found, would have alleviated the water situation the community has been experiencing for some time. “It was a drain I was trying to find, we were getting water problem in the community for some time, however like he went too close to a pocket of water and that pushed down the whole thing,” he related to Kaieteur News.

Harry said an artificial pool was constructed on top of the hill as a means of storing water, since the community frequently experiences water shortage.  He said efforts to clear the debris, will be executed by his company as well as the reconstruction of the two houses that were destroyed. “Right now I am trying to get a truck, a front end loader and so forth to cart off the stuff.”

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer, Dwight John said a newly constructed community access road which was executed by the RDC was damaged in the landslide. The community remains without electricity following the incident as well as is partially inaccessible at this time.