Oil
worker still unconscious after blast
By Richard Charan, South Bureau
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
03 18 07
One of five oil workers who suffered severe burns
in an explosion at a well that was being serviced
remained unconscious and unresponsive last night,
nearly 48 hours after the incident.
Dave
Namdeo, 26, of Gowers Well Road, Fyzabad was being
kept alive by a ventilator, doctors said.
His
sister, Dawn, said: "He is fighting for his
life and I hope there is a miracle for him."
He
has a three-month-old daughter, Daniella.
Acting
Medical Chief of Staff at the San Fernando General
Hospital Dr Anand Chatoorgoon said of Namdeo: "This
patient is very ill. Only time will tell if he will
be able to make it."
The
other four men who were said to be in "endless
pain" were faring better, doctors said.
One
of them Naresh Bridgelal, 41, of Bhakensingh Avenue,Grant
Road, Rousillac was transferred from the Intensive
Care Unit to the Burns Unit yesterday.
Doctors
said he was improving. His children, Narendra, six,
and Naren, four , were not told of their father's
misery.
They
were sent to school yesterday by their mother, Indira.
Chatoorgoon
said the prognosis was good for Vivian Meade, 24,
of Cayenne Trace, Santa Flora and Ronald Seepersad,
42, and Colin Mohammed, 20, both of Standard Road,
Fyzabad.
They
are detained at ward three and covered by nets to
minimise the chance of infection.
The
three will be the first to be transferred to Petrotrin's
Augustus Long Hospital for specialist treatment
when they are stabilised, Chatoorgoon said.
They
are on ward three with other patients because all
eight beds on the Burns Unit are occupied by victims
of fire.
The
five men were horribly burned when natural gas ignited
while they worked on an oil rig deep in the Guapo
Field-where Petrotrin has several oil wells. The
explosion happened after dark on Sunday. They ran
a mile for help.
The
men work for ALTEC Services, a petroleum company
based in Palmiste, San Fernando.
What
triggered the explosion was still unclear yesterday.
The
resulting fire burnt a van, caravan and the rig,
and scorched an area 300 feet wide.
The
area was still cordoned off yesterday as officials
monitor natural gas emissions.
Petrotrin's
communications officer Arthur Sanderson said a report
on the incident was being prepared.
Chatoorgoon
said no relative of any of the burn victims had
come to him asking for the men to be taken for treatment
in the United States.
Trinidad
Express
Wednesday, March 14th 2007
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©2007 Trinidad Express. All Rights Reserved.
