An accidental explosion at Camp Stephenson in Timheri, East Bank Demerara has killed three ranks of the Guyana Defence Force and injured two others. In a statement issued this morning, the GDF confirmed that the deadly blast occurred at the Arms Store Complex of the base at around 9 am.
The three dead soldiers have been identified as 20-year-old Private Shaqueel Deheart of West Coast Berbice, 23-year-old Lance Corporal Kevon Nicholson of New Amsterdam, and 28-year-old Lance Corporal Tooley Peneux of Orealla Village, Region 6.
As for the two injured soldiers, 43-year-old Sergeant Quincy Threlfall is currently being treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital while 29-year-old Lance Corporal Paul Peters was treated at Base Camp Stephenson.
Guyana Defence Force has since established a Board of Inquiry into the incident.
This is the second accidental detonation the GDF has experienced for the year. In February, one soldier died and several were injured after a fireworks explosion at a GDF Coast Guard pier in Ruimveldt, Georgetown. The soldiers at the time were transporting the fireworks that were intended to be used during the Jubilee Republic anniversary celebration. A BoI was launched into that incident as well. However, the results of the investigation have not yet been released to the public.
