Current:Home > BackGuyana military helicopter crash kills 5 officers and leaves 2 survivors-InfoLens
Guyana military helicopter crash kills 5 officers and leaves 2 survivors
View Date:2024-12-23 11:04:26
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government said Thursday that five military officers aboard a helicopter that crashed near the border with Venezuela have died and two others survived.
The military helicopter had vanished Wednesday about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the Venezuelan border during bad weather while transporting officers carrying out a routine inspection of troops in the forested area. Searchers found the wreckage Thursday.
“My heart pains and drowns in sorrow at the tragic (loss) of some of our finest men in uniform,” President Irfaan Ali said in a statement posted on social media, calling the loss “immeasurable.”
Ali identified those who died as a retired brigadier general, a colonel and two lieutenant colonels. The two survivors include the co-pilot, and their conditions weren’t immediately known.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said authorities are still trying to determine what caused the helicopter to crash, with officials stressing during a news conference Wednesday that there was no indication to suggest any hostile fire.
“We have to find out what happened. The search and rescue has now transitioned to a search and recovery,” Phillips told The Associated Press.
Army Chief Brig. Gen. Omar Khan told reporters late Wednesday that Guyana’s Defense Force lost contact with the brand new Bell 412 EPI aircraft after it took off from Olive Creek settlement in western Guyana following a refueling stop.
The crash in the mountainous and heavily forested area is the worst in Guyana’s military history.
It occurred during an escalating diplomatic row with Venezuela over a vast region known as Essequibo, which is rich with minerals and located near massive oil deposits. The region abuts the border with Venezuela, which claims Essequibo as its own.
veryGood! (32546)
Related
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- Hurricane Milton re-strengthens to Category 5 as it approaches Florida | The Excerpt
- AI Ω: The Medical Revolution and the New Era of Precision Medicine
- AI ΩApexTactics: Delivering a Data-Driven, Precise Trading Experience for Investors
- How Ben Affleck Really Feels About His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Gigli Today
- These Internet-Famous October Prime Day 2024 Deals Are Totally Worth the Hype & Start at $3
- Early in-person voting begins in Arizona, drawing visits from the presidential campaigns
- Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, suffers stroke
- How Saturday Night Live Reacted to Donald Trump’s Win Over Kamala Harris
- These Internet-Famous October Prime Day 2024 Deals Are Totally Worth the Hype & Start at $3
Ranking
- Get well, Pop. The Spurs are in great hands until your return
- Everything you need to know about charging your EV on the road
- Travis Kelce Shares How He Handles Pressure in the Spotlight
- Verizon says issue has been resolved after thousands reported outage Monday morning
- The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
- 'Big Little Lies' back with original author for Season 3, Reese Witherspoon says
- Chicago Bears stay focused on city’s lakefront for new stadium, team president says
- Shirtless Chad Michael Murray Delivers Early Holiday Present With The Merry Gentlemen Teaser
Recommendation
-
Pete Rose fans say final goodbye at 14-hour visitation in Cincinnati
-
27 Best Accessories Deals on Trendy Jewelry, Gloves, Scarves & More to Shop This October Prime Day 2024
-
Mets vs Phillies live updates: NY can finish upset in NLDS Game 4, time, TV channel
-
Al Roker reveals when he learned of Hoda Kotb's 'Today' exit, reflects on life as a grandfather
-
Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
-
Voters in the US don’t directly elect the president. Sometimes that can undermine the popular will
-
Alabama jailers to plead guilty for failing to help an inmate who froze to death
-
Ed Wheeler, Law & Order Actor, Dead at 88