Top: The body of one of the loggers killed in an accident last week. Picture credit: Superintendent Darius Nagbe, Sr.
By Myer Saydi
NUMOPOH — Two loggers died after a tree crushed them in Sinoe County recently, the police said.
The victims have been identified as William Wleh Tarpeh, 49, and Stephen Chea Jr., about 25. They were contractors with African Finch Logging Limited, a company operating the Numopoh Community Forest in the Kpanyan District.
“Our investigation is ongoing. We are working to establish exactly what happened and to identify the people who were involved in the logging operation when the accident occurred,” said Moses Dweh of the Liberia National Police’s Criminal Services Division.
“Unfortunately, the company has not yet identified the workers allegedly involved, which is making it difficult for us to fully establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Preliminary accounts indicate that Tarpeh and Chea had completed their assignment when the tree the unnamed worker cut fell on them.
The accident left Wleh trapped beneath a heavy log, where he reportedly remained for nearly two days before his body could be recovered. The recovery operation drew county officials, chiefs and elders, and residents to the scene.
Chea Jr. was rushed to Kilo Town Clinic on Tuesday evening following the incident, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Speaking through their grief, Stephen Chea, Sr., father of the deceased, expressed profound pain over the death of his son.
“I am fully and painfully frustrated. I don’t see any meaning in living any longer. Why is this world so wicked and heartless?”
Stephen’s mother, visibly devastated by the loss, said her son would never return home again.
“My son will never come back again. See the nasty way my son died!”
The remarks reflect the deep emotional pain surrounding the tragedy. They also express concerns about how the matter has been handled after their son’s death.
Nathaniel Wah, African Finch’s Human Resources Manager, expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
“It was an accident, no body deserved such a death. We all regret this, and we console the families. We are in pain and frustrated,” Wah said.
He said that the deceased men were contracted through a subcontractor that is responsible for African Finch’s production.
There are growing concerns about the company’s responsibility and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Residents and local authorities are reportedly seeking answers about the individuals who were operating the chainsaw at the time of the accident. They want to know whether other workers have been brought in for questioning by the police.
Concerns have also been raised about why logging operations have reportedly continued while the deceased’s families are still mourning.
These concerns have intensified calls for the relevant authorities to establish exactly what happened, determine responsibility where necessary, and ensure that appropriate safety measures are being followed at logging sites.
Darius Nagbe, the Superintendent of Kpanyan District, expressed frustration over African Finch’s “inadequate response to the tragedy.”
We are worried that individuals who allegedly felled the trees are yet to be identified,” Nagbe said. He called for the chainsaw operators who felled the fatal tree to be turned over to the police for questioning.
Dweh, the police officer assigned to the case, said the investigation has encountered difficulty because the company had not identified the alleged chainsaw operators—the company has since not commented on this issue.
For the families of Tarpeh and Chea Jr, the pain goes far beyond the questions now being asked. The two men left home expecting to return. Instead, their families received their dead bodies.
This is a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).