Zimbabwean demining expert killed in explosive accident in Argentina

Zimbabwean explosives and demining expert Henry Martin Douglas Macharaga died in Argentina almost a week ago after a fatal detonation of an explosive he was handling as part of his extraction work on the side of National Route 34 in the Latin American country, The NewsHawks has established.

 

Macharaga was 52.

 

He is survived by his wife and two children.

 

Arrangements to repatriate his body back to Zimbabwe for burial are currently underway.

 

Information obtained shows Macharaga died on 19 August after an explosive accidently detonated on his hands while he was working on RN34.

 

The National Route 34 (RN34) is a major highway in Argentina, approximately 1 488km long, which connects the provinces of Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Salta, and Jujuy, running from the port city of Rosario north to the Bolivian border.

 

Macharaga was originally from Chirumanzu, Midlands, but grew up in Kwekwe where his father was a well-known headmaster.

 

He also lived in Harare.

 

Macharaga was part of a contingent of personnel who had arrived in the country with The Development Initiative (TDI) to extract explosives across the region, with a base on the side of NR34 in Mosconi, a town in Salta Province where Tartagal Airport is located.

 

TDI was established in 2005 and provides a wide range of explosive threat mitigation and mine-action related services.

 

With a big footprint throughout Africa and the Middle East, TDI has completed over 80 projects in different countries which include Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, among others.

 

It has cleared over 26 600 km of routes and roads, removed more than 235 000 items of unexploded ordnance, and safely destroyed over 2 400 tonnes of unserviceable and obsolete munitions.

 

The reasons for the detonation of the explosive device which killed Macharaga are still being investigated based on the work carried out by Forensic Science and Legal Medicine personnel.

 

The scene of the accident was fenced off, and investigations are on with the help of Tartagal Firefighters, explosives experts from the Provincial Police Fire Division.

 

Macharaga was working as a TDI contractor.

 

Given the nature of his death, through a fatal accident, the Macharaga family will almost certainly claim compensation for funeral expenses and loss of dependency or financial support for his wife and children.

 

Newshawks