Tragedy!

Tragedy hit the Freeport Community on Bushrod Island opposite the cement factory CEMENCO, adjacent the International Standard Industry or ISI when a consignment of six millimeters long widow and door glasses onboard a 40 feet container fell and smashed three young men to instant death.

The trio had been contracted by a Chinese business center, DA LIAN JIE MEL Trading to offload the container from a truck when they met their demise.

The entire community was a scene of grieve and tears early Thursday, 26 March  as women, men and children struggled in fruition to  save the young men’s lives.

According to a bystander, the container had onboard several hundred pieces of six millimeters long window and door glasses that were transported from the Freeport of Monrovia to the business center.

Anthony Kiadi, another eyewitness, narrated that the container has been parked in front of the Chinese company for the past two days because the management of the business center could not afford US$1,000 allegedly charged by a private crane operator to offload it from the truck.

Kiadi continued that a Liberian national, only identified as Emmanuel, decided to take the contract for US$700.00, but the Chinese negotiated for US$400.00, so he (Kiadi) backed off due to gravity of the job, which was labor-intensive.

“This morning, my friend Emmanuel came to me with other guys whose names I don’t know and said that they had a contact to unload a container. I asked them how much they charged for the work and he told me US$700, but the Chinese people agreed to pay US$300 so I refused and told them the money was too small for that work and I left and went home,” Kiadi narrated.

According to him, while sitting home, he received news that an accident had occurred in a place where his wife sells so he rushed to the scene only to see people fighting to break the glasses onboard the container to rescue his friends.

“These cheap Chinese people in this country! God will punish them”, lamented a female eyewitness as she spoke to this paper in tears.

According to her, while efforts were being exerted to rescue the victims, one of the Chinese from the company prime concern was to protect the goods onboard rather than the human lives.

However, she said the Chinese met the wrath of the community when an angry resident dealt him a severe slap.

Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police have begun investigation into the incident as of press time yesterday. 

By Ben P. Wesee