GDF search and rescue ground team nears aircraft crash site

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) search and rescue team is en route to the heavily forested area in Region Eight, where a Cessna single-engine plane bearing registration 8R-YAC crashed on Friday.

The GDF, in a statement, noted that it has mobilised key assets, including a Bell 429 helicopter equipped with a hoist and specialised search and rescue capabilities, and a Skyvan aircraft to sustain the operation.

“A ground team from the GDF 31 Special Forces Squadron has been successfully inserted into the general area and has since reached a position within visual proximity of the confirmed crash site of aircraft 8R-YAC,” the army said.

The agency has promised further updates as the operation progresses, with the team navigating difficult terrain and the presence of an escarpment, noting that efforts remain focused on gaining access to the crash site.

The crashed aircraft belongs to Air Services Limited (ASL). It went down following departure from Mahdia. The pilot Captain Ryder Castello, a Nicaraguan national was the only person onboard at the time and heading to Imbaimadai.