The Private Sector Commission (PSC) Monday said it is seriously concerned at the news of the explosion at a gas station in the capital on Sunday night that resulted in the death of a six year-old child and injury to several other people.
‘The Commission urges all business places and every citizen to be alert to the seriousness of this matter and to maintain a maximum and heightened state of security and vigilance as the government takes immediate and appropriate action to address the matter,’ the PSC said in a statement.
Six year-old Soraya Bourne, who died following an explosion on Sunday.
‘This tragedy underscores the urgent need for stronger safety and security practices across the country to protect lives and property and continues to work with and support our national authorities in upholding these standards,’ it added.
Police have since released a video showing a man placing a bag at the gas station before the explosion.
‘Preliminary investigations revealed that earlier in the evening, a male of mixed ethnicity, believed to be a Spanish speaking foreign national, was seen at the location with two bulky black plastic garbage bags,’ the police said in a statement.
‘At approximately 19:36hrs, a powerful explosion was heard on the southwestern side of the compound, near the section where bottled cooking gas is stored. The blast caused extensive damage to the building, several parked vehicles and nearby properties.’
The opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said that it had sent a team to vist the family ‘provide emotional support to the grieving family during this unimaginable time.
‘This tragedy has shaken the nation, and as the family mourns, the entire country mourns with them. Moments like these remind us of the importance of unity, compassion, and standing together as a people,’ the APNU said.
‘It is a time of deep sorrow, but also a moment for all Guyanese to come together in love, strength, and solidarity as we grieve the loss of an innocent life,’ said the APNU, which lost its position as the main opposition grouping in Guyana following the September 1 regional and general election.
‘We also pray that her family would find the strength and comfort that they need at this time. The Party wishes those injured a speedy recovery and that the perpetrator/s involved would be caught and dealt with to the full extent of the law.’
Another opposition party, Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) issued a statement condemning ‘in the strongest and most unequivocal terms, the horrific act that claimed the innocent life of six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injured several others following the tragic explosion’.
It said that ‘the loss of a child under such devastating circumstances has shaken the conscience of our nation and plunged every Guyanese heart into mourning. We extend our deepest condolences to Soraya’s family and loved ones, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to those injured and traumatized by this senseless tragedy.’
The party said it is calling on the government to ‘ convene an emergency meeting with all Opposition Party Leaders,’ adding that it is ‘urgently needed to craft a unified, non-partisan national response to the growing threats to public safety, and to reassure the nation that the security and well-being of every Guyanese, regardless of background or origin, remain the foremost duty of the State’.
President Irfaan Ali, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, said in a statement said he had been ‘briefed on the identification of an individual of interest, and I have instructed that images of this person be circulated widely so that the public may assist the Guyana Police Force by sharing any information that could aid the investigation.
‘I have directed that a full-scale investigation be launched immediately and that every available resource and investigative tool be utilised to determine the precise cause and circumstances of this incident,’ Ali said.
Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, said ‘my heart goes out to the Bourne family during this unimaginably painful time’.
Meanwhile, Samantha Roach, the mother of the six-year-old child killed in the blast, told reporters that her daughter had been excited at going out to buy food at KFC with her cousins as had been the routine every Sunday.
‘I rush go but by time I reach, they done carry some of them hospital,’ Roach said, adding at the hospital, she frantically begged for information.
Soraya, who was seated behind the driver’s seat in the car, died at the scene.
The mother said her daughter was too ‘young’ to have suffered such a death, saying she did not mind if she had died as a result of an illness.
‘She didn’t deserve to die like that,’ Roach said.