Latest update March 26th, 2026 12:30 AM
Woman in gas bottle explosion dies
Kaieteur News- Fifty-five-year-old Basmattie Ganpat, who sustained severe burns after her gas bottle exploded earlier this month at their Fifth Street Foulis, East Coast Demerara residence, died on Sunday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Ganpat and her common-law partner, 58-year-old Manu Sukhu, were both admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on January 4, 2024, the day of the incident. Ganpat sustained burns to 80% of her body, while Sukhu suffered 68% burns in the incident.
Dead: Basmattie Ganpat
Kaieteur News was on Sunday informed by Ganpat’s daughter, Sandyha Goolram that her mother had passed away. “Mommy passed away this morning,” the daughter related. She related that she had received a call from the hospital on Sunday stating that Ganpat passed away around 6:45hrs. However, Goolram noted that the doctor had not yet disclosed the official cause of death, which she expected to learn by Monday.
Overcome with grief, Goolram shared her shock and sorrow. “It shocked me, and all… since I woke up, I’ve just been sitting in this chair. It ain’t easy, I’m stressing and crying right now,” she said. Reflecting on her mother’s most recent condition, she added, “on Saturday when I went, the urine in the bag turned reddish. So, the kidney was giving up. Like the organs couldn’t handle the pressure anymore.” Goolram also expressed that her mother appeared swollen, saying, “I looked at her and said, ‘God, you know best… if she has to go to rest, let her go.’ I knew she was going.”
Goolram, the eldest of Ganpat’s three daughters, revealed the emotional toll of losing both parents within five years. She shared that with her mother’s burial ahead and the responsibility of repairing her mother’s home, she will face severe financial strain. “It’s just me and my two younger sisters,” Goolram said.
Since the incident, Goolram mentioned that the gas company, Massy Gas, had not reached out to offer any assistance or compensation. “They ain’t even reach out back to we, for help with compensation. Now mommy is dead, and we still have to fix up back the house, is mommy and daddy backbone. Daddy done dead already, and now mommy gone,” Goolram said.
Describing the explosion, Goolram recounted receiving a message on January 4, 2024, about a house fire and her mother being burned. Upon arriving at the scene, she found 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, with Goolram noting that renovations had been completed only a year ago. Currently, the family is focused on organising Ganpat’s funeral and has yet to decide whether to pursue legal action against the gas company.
(Woman in gas bottle explosion dies)
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