Former APNU MP Richard Allen has raised concerns about the situation of the victims of the Air Services Limited plane crash which occurred last Monday.
Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Allen said that the victims are now stranded in town and that the company is not giving them anything firm. “These people are not from Georgetown, they need to get back home to work. They need to be assured that their welfare will be taken care of.”
Efforts to contact ASL last evening were futile.
Allen said that he has spoken with Mazar Ally, owner of ASL, and that although he is happy that he has acknowledged concern over the matter, there still needs to be swifter action. “I spoke to him and told him that I was the one who had to transport these people from the hospital. He was saying that their staff were supposed to take care of the victims. I told him also that there was no one from his office there to look after these people. These victims are not responsible for what happened to them and it is a shame that they are being treated like this. They said that they are honouring the responsibility of the passengers and we are expecting that.”
Allen said that several of the victims have been complaining about the treatment they are receiving. “Urmeilla Rajesh called me in tears after 9pm on Friday evening saying that she was hungry and her husband had to go and get something for her,” he said.
He said that the mother one of the victims told him that if he hadn’t intervened in the situation they didn’t know what would have happened. “After an accident like this, these victims were not even given any follow-up medication… These hospital bills were only paid this morning after a lot of running around. One of the victims, Esther Williams, has to return to the hospital on Wednesday for follow-up treatment. Who is going to foot those bills?”
“Most times when persons come out to Georgetown from those areas the money they bought their ticket with is their last, and now these victims are stuck in Georgetown. They need to get back home,” he said.
The plane which had 13 passengers on board was piloted by Cpt Feriel Ally. Stabroek News understands that the pilot encountered heavy mist around the airstrip as she was preparing to land just before 8.30 am. Reports are that the plane was seen circling for some time before it came down. On landing, the plane ended up in thick vegetation a short distance away from the airstrip. There was reportedly damage to one of the wheels and the aircraft’s baggage area.
A statement from the company on Wednesday lauded the work of the emergency responders. The statement said that all 13 persons on board were given initial medical treatment at a triage centre at the Matthews Ridge Hospital; 12 were later transferred to other medical facilities in Georgetown.
