Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves commented in Parliament on Thursday about the death of an Italian construction worker in Canouan earlier that day.
Gonsalves said that Sergeant Carla Timm, the officer in charge of police operations on the island after the July 1 passage of Hurricane Beryl, had briefed him on the incident.
“An Italian by the name of Sergio Scorrano, 59 years of age, Italian, a carpenter, he works at Soho House in Canouan.
“He and another worker were putting on a tarpaulin on the staff quarters at Soho and he fell. Unfortunately, he died,” Gonsalves told lawmakers, as he gave an hours-long ministerial statement on the response to the natural disaster.
“I extend condolences to his family. I’m seeking to get the name of his family and telephone number so I can connect with them. I express condolences on behalf of the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the prime minister said.
See our original story below:
A man, said to be an Italian construction expert, died at the staff quarters at Soho Beach House, a luxury hotel in Canouan on Thursday, presumably after falling from the roof, four days before he was reportedly scheduled to return home.
A source with knowledge of the incident told iWitness News that the construction worker was found on the floor inside the upper storey of the two-storey building around 11:15 a.m.
The building, like many others on the Southern Grenadines island, was damaged by Hurricane Beryl, a category 4 cyclone, on July 1.
The storm claimed six lives in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and damaged 95% of buildings in Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island, according to government estimates.
The man was part of a team repairing the roof of the building, iWitness News was reliably informed.
iWitness News was told that a doctor who arrived at the scene sometime after the incident pronounced the construction worker dead.
“It was very traumatic,” one source told iWitness News, adding that the injured man was moaning in Italian before he died.
Police have cordoned off the area and have launched an investigation into the incident.
The Italian construction worker is the second person to have died in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in less than a year after falling from a hotel.
On Dec. 28, 2023, a Canadian man died after jumping or falling from Myah’s Suites, a five-storey hotel in Diamond, seven months after the hotel opened.
This is such a shame and so totally avoidable. Fall protection like harnesses, lanyards and designated tie off points are standard safety equipment and protocol for working at heights. No excuses for the owners of this high dollar real estate in Canouan to not hire and promote safe work practices while under their contract.
Ciao Sergio sarai sempre nel mio cuore amico mio.
Tragic occurrence in the midst of an already difficult and likely stressful situation. Painful. Can’t help but wonder if his harness failed him as I see even a makeshift one as mandatory in the hands of an expert in the circumstances. Condolences to his team and loved ones
Ciao Sergio fai buon viaggio riposa in pace tra gli angeli amico mio