A Race Against Time Turned From Rescue to Recovery

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The police account begins with a call to the control room sometime after 6 p.m. Thursday evening.

A male operating an excavator is trapped in a collapsing mound of quarry, boulders, rocks and dirt, prompting a full police rescue attempt at the scene.

At the heart of the emergency, a reported 10-foot boulder broke and collapsed, burying the machine and its operator.

Initially, the hope was that he was trapped, but alive.

However, hours before, images of the on-going tragedy riveted across social media, spurring volunteers like Andrew Pinder to race to the Tonique Williams Darling site to try and help.

Andrew Pinder – Rescue Worker

“When I first got here, there was nothing to see. We just went in with the equipment, move material from around the machine, locate the cab. We went in with the hand tools because we knew that’s where he should be. “

As the night progressed, the unstable ground conditions added to the anxiety, as well as the risks from a compromised gas tank, clear from the smell in the air.

Despite the feverish efforts of the police, and reinforcements from rescue workers and volunteers for hours, it became painfully clear the victim was not coming out alive.

When rescuers were finally able to remove the top of the cab, it confirmed their worst fears – a dismembered body.

The scene moved quickly from a search and rescue to a recovery.

The unique nature of the tragedy raising immediate questions about the readiness and rescue capabilities of police.

On scene, Press Liaison Chief Superintendent Sheria King made this clarification in response:

Police Press Liaison – Chief Superintendent Sheria King

“Our role was simply for making certain that if something happened, once they removed the debris, we would then step in…doing our due diligence and uncover any evidence that may be there.”

Yet for all the unanswered questions about how it happened, whether the response time was adequate or were rescuers properly equipped – the final message to the many who tried to save this excavator operator seemed to matter most.

Police Press Liaison – Chief Superintendent Sheria King

“We are grateful for all the partners we had here tonight to assist us in making certain we were able to uncover the excavator that male victim was in.”

An industrial