‘Firefighters have tarnished Guyana’s image’ – Gov’t condemns theft

The Government of Guyana says the allegations of theft by members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) who first responded to the scene after a Fly Jamaica aircraft crashed on emergency landing on Friday last are “reprehensible” and condemned their actions.

Four days after the incident, a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency noted that “both Cabinet and the National Security Committee (NSC) were today briefed about the incident involving Fly Jamaica’s flight OJ256.”

Several firemen have been accused of stealing personal items belonging to crew members and several passengers of a Fly Jamaica airplane which made an emergency landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on November 9, 2018.

The Government statement noted that during the emergency operations that followed the emergency landing, members of the GFS rushed to the scene.

After the mop-up, some personal items belonging to crew members and some passengers were discovered missing. The firemen were since detained by the police and some released on bail, the statement explained.

“Cabinet strongly condemned as criminal and morally corrupt those alleged acts of theft, and urged that the perpetrators be brought to swift justice.

“It must be noted that not only did the accused cast a blemish on the reputation of the disciplined services but they have tarnished Guyana’s image,” the statement concluded.