Early demise for Gorilla Rock |21 October 2004

After the fourth of what was supposed to be a sequence of five blasts on Wednesday morning, the body of the Gorilla Rock came crashing down, together with some of the blasters’ equipment and the fifth explosive charge.

No injuries were reported, officials said, and authorities indicated that the area was safe.

The Gorilla Rock’s demise marks an early end to the blasting project, which officials originally believed would have to continue for at least another two weeks.

Though the rock apparently came down without incident – albeit accidentally – and there was no longer any apparent danger in the area, Minister of Land Use and Habitat Joel Morgan did not exactly give the operation his stamp of approval.

"I cannot say I am satisfied – the rock did not come down the way we wanted it to come down," the minister said during an interview with the press on Wednesday afternoon near the site. He added that he was however relieved that no property was damaged and that no people were hurt.

Minister Morgan said it was too early to say how much the entire operation will be costing the government, noting that discussions have to be finalised with the South African blasting firm and other parties, given the unusual situation.

Master blaster Ernie Du Plessis said that precautions had been taken in the event that the entire rock came down, which he allowed was Òone of the possibilities that could happen."

He said heavy rains over the past few days probably helped the Gorilla Rock slide over the edge after the blasting.

Despite the unexpected nature of the boulder formation’s fall, Mr Du Plessis declared to Minister Morgan and other officials visiting the site that the mountain from which the gorilla rock fell – and the remnants of the rock itself, which landed within the project’s "danger zone" – were 100 percent safe. "I’d sleep on that first shelf (on the mountain)," he said.

Mr Du Plessis also lamented over the instability of the rock given its reaction to the blasts, saying "it was just a matter of time" before it would have fallen on its own.
 
"It’s a (great) relief," he told reporters later.
 
While all operations involving explosives were dangerous, he added, Seychelles’ Gorilla Rock was one of the more "unusual" operations he had dealt with over his 36-year career in the blasting industry.

Project coordinator Brohnsonn Winslow, speaking to Seychelles Nation via telephone later in the day, said the fifth charge that was set to explode during the operation had been recovered, and that the rest of the explosives that were to be used in the operation had been sent back with the army for safekeeping.

Residents who had been evacuated from the area for the duration of the project were given the OK by the ministry to return to their homes on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Winslow said however that officials will remain in the area on Thursday and Friday, to assess the situation and see what else needs to be done. This would involve mostly minor cleanup operations and "nothing of great importance or life threatening," he said.