MANCHESTER, Jamaica — An excavator operator narrowly escaped serious injuries when the unit overturned into the Hector’s River at the site of the collapsed Troy Bridge on Tuesday.

Residents told Observer Online that early in the afternoon the excavator was being used to demolish the remaining section of the bridge when the structure collapsed causing the unit to overturn into the river.

Residents also raised concern as they claimed that the folklore-like slaughtering of a goat or chicken and the shedding of its blood was not done before the demolition work started.

“They should kill something and get the rum, because it has been there for over 125 years. You have to either kill a fowl or a goat there and put on a pot and the rum. You have to do that before you touch that place,” a resident of Cowick Park said.

Another resident, Dulcy Bromfield, said she prayed on Sunday at her church for there to be no accidents or deaths during the construction of the new Troy Bridge.

“We inna church and we pray seh we bind up every accident and every blood sucking demon, no death. We don’t know if dem did drink nuh rum or sprinkle none out there. A one blood fi out there and is the blood of Jesus Christ,” she said.

Last week, the National Works Agency (NWA) said long-awaited work to replace the collapsed Troy Bridge connecting north west Manchester and southern Trelawny, would start this week.

Since the Troy Bridge collapsed in August 2021, schoolchildren and other residents have been using makeshift methods, including a fallen tree and a zipline comprising a rope and bucket to cross the river. The risky makeshift footbridge connects residents in the neighbouring communities of Cowick Park in north-western Manchester to Troy in southern Trelawny. Since the bridge collapsed, residents have had to use a 15-mile alternative commute for safety.

READ: Work on new Troy bridge to start next week

— Kasey Williams