A New Year celebration turned tragic for a group of Lautoka Sugar Mill workers when 38-year-old Filipe Sadrugu was fatally crushed under a sugar train. Sadrugu, from Navutu Settlement near Lautoka, had informed his superior at the mill that he was too inebriated to work and subsequently went with friends to purchase more alcohol. The group paused at the tramline near the Navutu roundabout, where Sadrugu laid down to rest, only to be run over by an FSC locomotive carrying mill mud to Field 40.
Friends of Sadrugu revealed he was already asleep when they left to buy beer. The locomotive driver did not notice him until it was too late. Despite efforts to extricate and rush him to Lautoka Hospital, Sadrugu succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind his wife, Maraia, and four children.
This tragedy echoes similar accidents within the Fiji Sugar Corporation network. Mohammed Ishaq, a pointsman, also lost his life in a related incident involving rail carts at Lomawai near Sigatoka, while another individual, Iliaseri Navosailagi, had his leg amputated after being run over by a locomotive while asleep on the tramline, also at Lomawai.
These incidents highlight ongoing safety concerns within the rail operations. Both the families and the broader community are grappling with these preventable losses, underscoring the urgent need for improved safety protocols to protect workers and reduce tragic occurrences.
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