Venezuelan firefighters among five killed

TWO of the victims of last Monday's horrendous road accident at Mausica that claimed five lives, were firefighters from Venezuela who were on a visit to Trinidad.

An aircraft of the Venezuelan Air Force will be arriving this afternoon to take the bodies of Andres Hugo Jimenez and Carolina Norluskus Perdomo who were a couple back to Venezuela for funeral services. The other people who died in the crash at the Mausica intersection of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway were another couple, John Romel Solomon Jr., 25, and Venezuelan Christina Sanchez Solorzano, 19, who were due to be married shortly and WASA employee Natasha Marcano, 43. Jimenez and Perdomo, both 28, had degrees in chemistry and tourism respectively. They were due to return to Venezuela today (WED).

An official of the Venezuelan Embassy told Newsday that Venezuela's Chief Fire Department have arranged a plane from the Venezuelan Air Force to land at Piarco International Airport sometime this afternoon. This was supposed to have occurred yesterday, but because post mortems on the five bodies ended late at the Mount Hope mortuary, it could not. The autopsies done by Dr A V Rao, revealed that the five died from head, chest and other injuries consistent with a vehicular accident. The official said that Jiminez and Perdomo were firefigters at the State of Anzoategue, and were studying English at Ambi's Career Institute, Hollis Avenue, Arima. They registered with the consulate in September of last year.

While the bodies of Jimenez and Perdomo will be flown home for burial, their compatriot, Solorzano, will be buried here with her fianc?. Solomon's mother, Jean, mother of five said Solorzano's parents made the decision because the couple had planned to get married on August 16. Solorzano has only one sister, 19. Solorzano's relatives are scheduled to land at Piarco International Airport around 11.30am today on board a Rutaca flight. Solorzano and Solomon are expected to be buried on Friday, Jean Solomon said.  Marcano's common-law-husband Gerard Richardson, also a WASA employee, said Marcano is also likely to be buried on Friday.

The five were killed in a vehicular accident around 10am Monday after an empty six-wheel dump truck ploughed into three vehicles at the Mausica intersection. The truck, driven by Longdenville resident Wiltshire Modeste, is owned by Home Construction Limited. Yesterday, Lisa Ghany, the housing company's corporate communications manager told Newsday they were in touch with the police and are assisting with the investigations. Describing the incident as a tragedy, Ghany said a company representative visited Modeste while he was hospitalised at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Monday. "He (Modeste) is traumatised and shaken-up by the accident," Ghany said. Police officers said the investigations are continuing and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mobile) Deochan Gosine said a decision regarding what action the police might take will be made by the end of the week. Sgt Godson Andrews of the Maloney Police Post is continuing investigations.