Couva handyman, 43, crushed to death by falling wall

A handyman has been crushed to death while demolishing part of an abandoned house in Balmain, Couva.

Nicholas Achong Li, 43, also known as Nikki, died at the Couva health facility on Saturday.

Police said part of a concrete wall fell on him on Saturday morning. Residents heard a crash from the house at Cemetery Street and saw him motionless under the rubble.

Couva fire and police officers removed Li.

Li lived alone in the area. He was not married or had any children.

His sister Joanne Conliss, 56, said she considered him her son. She took care of him as a minor.

"This is a shock to me. I still cannot catch myself. That child would religiously be up and down the streets of Balmain. He never stole or robbed people. Once he started a job, he would finish it," Conliss said.

"Some people took advantage of him, but he never complained. Some people overworked him and paid him very little money. I know my brother, and I know as a fact he would not go there on his own."

She praised her aunt Esther Hackett-Mendoza, neighbours, and other relatives who always looked after Li’s best interests and were there for him.

Relatives said from what they were told, the property’s owners live abroad. But they believe someone else hired him to demolish part of it.

Li’s bereaved aunt Hackett-Mendoza told Newsday his mother died 13 years ago.

"Nikki never begged people for anything. He worked for what he wanted. He was a hard worker. If he wanted something, he would come and ask his family," Hackett-Mendoza said.

Since Saturday, family and friends have been lighting flambeaux on the streets near the family’s home to honour his memory.

Couva police are continuing investigations.