Guyana prays as 7 soldiers go missing during army flight to border

The nation is keeping fingers crossed and is in prayers following news that a Guyana Defence Bell 412 Helicopter with call sign 8-Romeo Alpha Yankee Romeo lost communication Wednesday morning with seven GDF personnel on board including a retired Brigadier and a Colonel.

On Wednesday night, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Omar Khan held a press conference where he provided an update on the situation and named the personnel who were onboard.

Colonel Michael Shahoud, Brigadier retired Gary Beaton, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Lieutenant Colonel Andeo Crawford, Staff Sergeant Jason Khan and Corporal Dwayne Johnson.

Communication was lost with the chopper as the personnel were heading to Guyana’s Western Border to check on troops stationed in the area moments after it took off from an area within the interior where it stopped to refuel. It was shortly after that the craft ELT sent a ping.

According to the Chief of Staff, an Emergency Locator transmitter (ELT) signal was emitted and that triggered the Guyana Defence Force to immediately kick in its emergency response posture. The ELT, according to Brigadier Khan is triggered on hard impact or landing.

The Search and Rescue Mission which was sent into the area could do very little given the weather conditions in the area. As such, the search and rescue mission will recommence on Thursday morning.

Over the last few weeks, the GDF has been dispatching personnel across the country especially the interior border locations to engage ranks and boost their morale in light of the heightened aggression against Guyana over its Essequibo territory.

At his press conference on Wednesday, the Chief of Staff regarded the senior officers on the flight as among the best and most experienced within the GDF. Against that backdrop, he was asked about the rationale for sending them to the location given the bad weather conditions there. The Chief of Staff said assessments are made before every flight is made and that he trusts the judgement of those who assessed the flight in question before giving the go head.

Questions on whether the loss of communication with the chopper and its crew could be hinged on the existing situation between Guyana and Venezuela, the Chief of Staff said all things are considered but speculations are not one which he is prepared to do.

This publication specifically asked about the chopper’s ability and capabilities to withstand interference with its communication system and other ultimately affect its ability to fly. To that the head of the army said the aircraft is properly equipped to fly and that it is also equipped with a satellite phone. He said no reports of interference were reported concerning the craft.