Inter-governmental agencies conducting search and rescue of people believed to be entrapped in an illicit gold mine pit have intensified their search for more victims.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)Response Supervisor, Goodrich Cheayan, has been put in charge of coordinating the search and rescue being carried out by the agencies involved. The incident command system has designated the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Armed Forces of Liberia to provide engineering assistance to the response; Liberia National Red Cross to conduct contact tracing of the affected persons and theirfamilies; Ministry of Health to treat the injured and manage burial along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Ministry of Justice and the Armed Forces of Liberia to provide security at the incident scene; Ministry of Health and the Liberia National Red Cross (LNRC) to take charge of psychol-social counselling; and the National Disaster Management Agency to coordinate the response efforts in close consultation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Meanwhile, considering that the response has gone more than 72 hours with the likelihood that anyone entrapped in a pit of such without ventilation might not be alive based on advice from health authorities, the response has transitioned to recovery.
It can be recalled that between Wednesday and Thursday of last week, seven persons were rescued alive, but with different conditions—some with bone fractures. Two of those were transferred to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, while the others are being treated in Rivercess.
Information Minister, Jerolinmek Matthew Piah,revealed on Thursday at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Weekly Press Briefing in continuation of updates on last Monday’s mudslide in Cheao, Charlie Town, Rivercess County, where 13 bodies have been recovered.
Minister Piah noted that they are still receiving updates from the mudslide in Rivercess County from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).