Five Guyanese soldiers died and two survived in an accident when they were traveling by helicopter to visit troops near the border with Venezuela, the Guyana Defense Force reported this Thursday.
The Bell 412 helicopter disappeared this Wednesday, about 48 kilometers from the border with Venezuela and its search was made difficult both this Wednesday and Thursday due to bad weather.. The device had taken off from the Ayanganna Military Base (Guyana) towards the town of Arau (Venezuelan Essequibo).
The deceased are Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, who piloted the device; Colonel Michael Shahoud, commander of the First Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, retired Brigadier General Gary Beaton and Sergeant Jason Khan.
The survivors, whose condition has not been revealed, are Lieutenant Colonel Andio Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Jackson.
The President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, assured that “the magnitude of this loss is immeasurable” for the country and for the Guyana Defense Force.. “My heart aches and drowns with sadness at the tragic loss of some of our best men in uniform,” he lamented in a statement.
The wreckage of the helicopter was first sighted on Thursday and search and rescue teams reported “positive signs of life at the scene,” according to a statement from the Guyana Defense Force.
Troops and specialized equipment, including doctors, were deployed, but inclement weather prevented the troops from descending to the scene of the incident.. The cause of the tragedy is yet to be determined.
According to authorities, the helicopter departed from the Ayanganna Base, in western Guyana, at 09:23 local time (14:23 GMT) this Wednesday, with three crew members and four passengers. However, at 11:20 (15:20 GMT), the ship sent an emergency alert in the Arau area, in western Guyana.
It could have been manipulated
The Chief of Staff of the Defense Force, Omar Khan, explained last night, from the Ayanganna Base, that the helicopter landed in Olive Creek to refuel, but after taking off again, communication was lost.
The officer indicated that the emergency alert allegedly indicates that the helicopter crashed, fell heavily or may have been manually altered by a crew member.
This accident coincides with an escalation of tension between Guyana and Venezuela due to the territorial dispute they maintain over the Essequibo region.
The president of Guyana assured this Wednesday that the Defense Force is “on maximum alert” and in contact with its military counterparts from other countries, including the United States Southern Command, due to the crisis with Venezuela.