Explosion victims praise God for life

FOUR of the five workers who were seriously injured in an explosion on an off-shore Petrotrin/Trinmar platform were yesterday praising the Almighty they survived the ordeal. However, the outlook for the fifth victim — Kenneth Merrique — is not so good as he underwent emergency surgery yesterday, and is reported to be in a coma. Merrique, 55, suffered serious head injuries during the explosion on the Trinmar off-shore platform on Wednesday morning at Block Station 16 (North) in the Soldado Field off the Gulf of Paria. 

Merrique, an employee of Valve Components Ltd (Valcom); Clarence Ramsaroop, 35, of Safeway Access; Ron Alexander, 28, employed with General Fabricators; Randy Anthony, 21, and Anthony Chin-Afat, both with Valcom, received the most serious injuries among 12 workers hurt in the explosion. When Newsday visited the Southern Medical Centre yesterday, Merrique was in the operating theatre and his relatives could not be found. His colleague Chin-Afat recalled that he (Chin-Afat) was trying to open a valve when he heard an explosion. “I lost my sense at one point in time. I was trying to get away. I was disabled since my left ankle was broken. It was so sudden, I thought I was going to die,” Chin-Afat said. Despite this, Chin-Afat said he told those who came to his assistance to help the others because they were “more seriously injured.”

Gently stroking his face, his wife Michelle said when she heard the news she could not move and just started to cry. Another Valcom employee, 21-year-old Anthony said his back was turned when he heard the loud noise. “I was pitched to the ground,” he recalled. Anthony, who suffered spinal injuries, added that he saw Merrique lying unconscious on the ground with a gaping wound to his head. Although the incident was traumatic, Anthony said he intends to return to work as soon as he is able. Ramsaroop, who fell off a scaffolding after the explosion, believed his harness saved his life. He said he kept praying that a fire did not start after the explosion.

Ramsaroop, who complained of back pains, praised the Trinmar firemen and medics for their efficient and quick response. “They did a very good job to get everything under control and get everybody out of there. If it was not for them, I don’t know what would have happened,” he said. Ramsaroop, father of an 18-month-old daughter, said the incident made him realise what was important in his life. “Before doing any job again, I will think about my family first,” he said. Recalling his experience, Alexander said, “When I heard the blast, I was slammed into a tank. I got on my belly and started pulling myself. All I remember after that was floating and seeing white,” he said. Alexander, who sustained an injury to his shoulder, said he was thankful that he was not killed. Petrotrin has since launched a full-scale investigation into the incident. Point Fortin police are also conducting investigations.