The government has declared two days of national mourning. Flags in the country will be flown at half-mast tomorrow and Friday.
President Chan Santokhi said on Monday that a shaft had collapsed on the site of gold company Zijin. It is now clear that the prospectors were working in the open air, under the overhang of a mountainside that they had excavated. That part came loose and crushed the men.
Dig out victims
In interviews with Surinamese media, survivors told how they tried to dig out living victims. They had to abandon their attempts when another part of the mountain wall came down. Fourteen bodies were recovered on Monday, and yesterday it was announced that one victim had died in hospital.
Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, who flew to the disaster area on Monday, today offered his condolences to the relatives and society through the media. He called on gold seekers to leave the area and urged everyone not to distribute images of the dead, out of respect for the family.
Out of sympathy for the victims, their relatives and society, the government has decided to declare tomorrow and Friday days of national mourning.
On November 25, Suriname will have been independent for 48 years. As usual, there will be a parade and parade, but other festivities may be canceled or adjusted.
2023-11-22 18:46:20
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