Soldiers, villagers commence ground search for missing plane

Jan 04, 2015 News

Bad weather put a damper on recovery efforts yesterday, causing rescuers to call off the search for the missing Air Services Limited (ASL) aircraft by mid-afternoon.
Members of the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) based at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri Control Tower are yet to find the Britten Norman Islander that went missing one week ago. The ASL aircraft was conducting shuttle flights between interior communities when contact was lost just after noon. The pilot was 27-year-old Nicky Persaud and c argo loader, 51-year-old David Bisnauth, was also onboard.
Hopes of finding the men alive are dwindling especially since the critical 72-hour period which is deemed pivotal for rescue efforts, expired some time ago. The RCC is determined however to continue its search efforts as long as resources permit.
The body has therefore deployed three more teams into the Mahdia Potaro-Siparuni area to join the search for the Britten Norman Islander and its precious cargo.
Providing an update the RCC said that 10 members from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC); eight ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces and eight Line Cutters from the St. Cuthbert’s Mission were inserted by helicopter into an ‘area of high interest’ to commence ground searches bordered by the North Fork and Black Water rivers. Those two areas are along the flight path which the pilot would have taken when he left for Karisparu, -another Region Eight community – with the construction material which he was carrying at the time.
The RCC has noted however, that standard ‘three man’ teams – from GFC and GDF – have mapped a route to systematically comb the mountainous terrain in search of the twin engine aircraft and the ASL crew.
The teams are equipped with modern communication equipment inclusive of satellite telephones; handheld radios; global positioning instruments, and are in regular contact with the Rescue Coordination sub-Centre at Mahdia.
Simultaneously, aerial examination continued with two helicopters supported by two fixed wing aircraft, not only in the ‘area of high interest’ but along the pre-determined grids which were prepared by the RCC, Timehri Control Tower.
However, yesterday’s search had to be discontinued at 16:30 hours due to bad weather and will resume at first light today.
The RCC said that the area of high probability was based on reports of sightings in an area above the highest peak, east of Deer Creek, approximately 10 miles, southwest of Mahdia. The RCC stated during a recent press conference that it is depending heavily on reports to carry out its operations.
Minister responsible for the Transport sector, Robeson Benn told the media that all reports are being investigated. This was reiterated by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)’s Director General Zulphicar Mohamed and Annette Arjoon-Martins, ASL Executive.
The RCC’s search has followed them into the New Year and still there has been no sign of the missing craft. It is hoped that rescuers have better luck getting work done on the ground.

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Soldiers, villagers commence ground search for missing plane

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