Stray rocks from quarry blast rip through roof at Tola Mitsubishi
Virgin Islands New Online was also told that a large rock also narrowly missed a man who was driving along the road at Fish Bay.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after 2 P.M. yesterday.
"Right now it’s a miracle that man still alive because if he was just less than a foot ahead from where he was that rock was going to kill him no doubt about that," an employee of Tola Mitsubishi told this news agency.
The employee himself was still in a shaken state at the incident to the extent that he couldn't relate what he had experienced to this news site at the time.
According to other eyewitnesses at the company, it was a typical day of blasting at the quarry as, according to them, the quarrying company had alerted them via the usual ways of calling and blowing the whistle.
"But we don't know what went wrong but all we heard were rocks falling on the roof and two ripped through the zinc like lightning bolts," one employee said. This resulted in all the staff running for cover.
"What was worse, I don't know what would have happen if a vehicle was passing or if there were people on the road because we hear a big bang and it was a hell of a big rock pelt out on the road. That one was like a really big thunder bolt," said another.
“My guess is that it weighed at least 50 pounds or more," said an employee about the rock that ended up on the main road.
“Two small rocks had enough power to crash through the galvanized roofing in the Body Shop, narrowly missing a worker. It all came from a blast at Skelton Concrete Products quarry, behind Tola Mitsubishi. The blasting is common but not like that one. It scared the crap out of me, the eyewitness further said.
When Virgin Islands News Online arrived on the scene, there were evidence of what had the potential of creating quite a catastrophe. A huge rock was in the parking lot opposite Tola Mitsubishi and there was a hole in the road allegedly caused by the rock.
Attempts to secure information from management at the quarry as to what could have possibly gone wrong proved futile but General Manager of Tola Mitsubishi Mr Bruce Wong expressed concern about the incident as the safety of his staff, customers and himself were at stake. "Who is to tell if this will ever happen again? We experienced something many years ago but like it starting back again. Something needs to be done to deal with this. My worker was almost killed," said a very disturbed Mr Wong.
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