DESPITE dangerous weather conditions, aircraft operators rose to the challenge and were able to successfully evacuate six Mahdia Secondary School students who were badly burnt in the fire that gutted their living quarters and left 18 female students and a five-year-old boy dead.

This is according to National Security Adviser, Captain Gerry Gouveia, who played a key role in organising the medical evacuation from the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara, to the mining town of Madhia in Region Eight.

Gouveia who has decades of flying experience under his belt, said that the evacuation effort was a success because of the national effort displayed by all of country’s aircraft operators.
He related that Air Services, Trans Guyana, Roraima Airways, and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Air Corps responded immediately upon receiving the “horrific news.”

“It was a battle for us; it was a battle because of the weather. There was a lot of lightning and thunder…Mahdia is in the mountains. I want to tell you all that the pilots were brave and determined, and the Air Services pilots were already on the ground, so we were able to alert them, and they brought out the first three sets of patients,” he said.

According to Gouveia, as the patients arrived, the medical team took charge and accompanied them to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) via ambulance.
He also said that investigators and a number of medical personnel were able to travel to the township from Ogle to render assistance.

Gouveia emphasised that it was a “massive operation that was done in very dangerous conditions, but everyone put their shoulders together and made a gigantic effort to try and save those who could have been saved. He also noted that he believes that it was indeed a great effort.

The security adviser also added that President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, arrived at the airport in the wee hours of Monday and stayed throughout the operation so as to get a full understanding of what was happening and the scale of the disaster.

Meanwhile, Captain Gerry Gouveia Jr., who piloted one of the medivac flights, told the Guyana Chronicle that Roraima Airways has developed a very “robust and reliable” approach to getting into the jungle, even in the “dead of night.”

Gerry Jr said that they have been using their experiences, training, and GPS for over three decades, and regardless of the inclement weather and turbulence, they understood that they were the children’s “only lifeline.”

Gouveia Jr. said: “I myself have been doing this (flying) for about eight years now, and Captain [Learie] Barclay has been doing it for almost 20 years. So, we have a lot of experience with the aircraft, and what we did was use our training and our GPS, and we got in there. We were lucky enough to get in, and we landed somewhere around 1:30 to 2 am Monday morning with the GPHC medical team and their equipment.

When we got into Mahdia, there was a buzz of activity, and we had already made arrangements with a plane that was on the ground and waiting. The first aircraft from Air Services came out to Ogle with the first three critical patients, but myself and Captain Barclay stayed back and helped to coordinate with GPHC with the other critical patients.”

Gerry Jr. also stated that “it was a very catastrophic event, and things were happening very, very quickly.”
According to him, one of the children had an inhalation injury due to the smoke.

Gouveia said that he was “very impressed” with the doctors from the GPHC that were on board the aircraft.
He added that the doctors reacted very quickly and were able to stabilise the child until she reached the GPHC in Georgetown.
“I will just like to say that the medical team that came in from GPHC was outstanding today. I will also like that the partnership between the private sector and the government came together and dedicated all of our efforts collectively in helping these children and families in need,” Gouveia Jr. said.

He used the opportunity to thank the Roraima Airways team and all those who participated in helping the children, their families, and the people of Mahdia as they grappled to come to terms with the enormous loss.

Shortly before midnight on Sunday, a fire engulfed the school’s female dormitory which housed 59 students. According to reports, three of the girls went home to spend time with their families for the weekend, while 56 remained and were present at the time of the tragedy.
The 18 female students who perished were between the ages of 12 and 17.