-Chief of Staff affirms
-Civil Aviation Authority, Guyana Police Force to spearhead investigation

EVEN in the face of adversity, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will continue fighting to safeguard Guyana’s territorial sovereignty and integrity, according to the Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan.

Amidst the tragedy that has plunged the nation into a pit of sorrow and mourning, Brigadier Khan during a press conference on Saturday, said the sacrifices of the five senior GDF ranks who died in a horrific accident on December 6 will not go unnoticed.

“While this tragedy of the incident has hit us hard…Expect us to regroup and prepare to continue with the mission of protecting our country.

“This is the life of the military. We join, we train and we live to serve selflessly and we do so even after we would have served. We will honour the sacrifices of the officers and other ranks who would have perished in this incident,” the Chief of Staff firmly stated.

The remains of the five long-standing servicemen who perished: Brigadier Gary Beaton- Project Engineer; Colonel Michael Shahoud, Commander of 1st Infantry Battalion; Lt. Col. Michael Charles, Pilot; Lt. Col. Sean Welcome, Commanding Officer Reserve Battalion; and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan of 31 Special Forces Squadron, were brought to Georgetown on Friday.

The two survivors, Corporal Dwayne Jackson and Lieutenant Andio Crawford, were also successfully extracted from the crash site and are receiving medical attention in the capital city.

The GDF’s Medical Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Langhorne told reporters that the servicemen are in “good general condition” and not suffering from any major injuries.
“…They are all in good general condition.

“They’re all in good spirits, their families are alongside them,” the Lieutenant Colonel said.
Meanwhile, the army head said the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be conducting an investigation into what caused the 8R-AYA, Bell 412 helicopter to crash.

The GDF will also be conducting its own investigation via a board of inquiry.
“In this period, I want to remind that we have an imminent threat to our territory and this particular flight to our border was a command operation to visit our troops,” Brigadier Khan said.
Speaking more on the operation, the GDF noted that the seven-member crew departed Olive Creek for Arau and Pilot Charles deviated from the normal flight path to the right or north.

The team was on a mission to visit troops stationed on the ground at the country’s western border with Venezuela.

During the past few weeks, military presence has been multiplied at that location due to Venezuela’s escalated aggression in the ongoing border controversy with Guyana.

Brigadier Khan could not say when the crashed helicopter will be extracted, noting that a decision will be made soon. It was also noted that the helicopter was badly burnt, primarily in the fuselage, with “few remaining pieces.”

Lieutenant Colonel Charles with over 40 years of experience, was flying the aircraft over mountains and dense jungle in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
The GDF noted that the crew departed Olive Creek for Arau and Pilot Charles deviated from the normal flight path to the right or north when it crashed.

The rescue team located the crash site on December 7 about nine miles south-east of “Blake Slater’s” airstrip, Ekereku Top, Cuyuni River and then confirmed that five crew members perished in the accident.

According to GDF, approximately 60 persons from various agencies coordinated the search-and-rescue operation.