How many people were on board the missing Guyana helicopter? Military aircraft vanishes near the country’s border with Venezuela

A tragedy struck on Wednesday, December 6, when a Guyana helicopter with seven people on board went missing near the country's border with Venezuela. Four senior military officials were being escorted by three crew members toward the border for an inspection of the military officials guarding the border, which is claimed by Venezuela.

The Guyana helicopter took flight from the western part of the country before it vanished near the border. Officials have stated that there was no indication of any sort of confrontation that might have led to the Guyana helicopter getting shot at but claimed that the area did have bad weather at the time of disappearance.

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Guyana helicopter goes missing amid tense atmosphere at the Venezuelan border

Seven people were reported missing from the Guyana military helicopter that went missing on Wednesday: two crew members and the five military officials they were transporting to the highly tense Guyana-Venezuela border.

The Bell 412 EPI aircraft had taken flight after refueling in Western Guyana's Olive Creek settlement but lost contact with the Defense Force later in the day.

On Wednesday, after the news broke, reporters asked Army Chief Brig. Gen. Omar Khan if the Guyana helicopter was shot from the sky while traveling through an area filled with forests and mountains. The Associated Press stated that he replied:

"We do not have any information suggesting that there was any flight by Venezuelan aircraft in that area."

"Speculation is not what I want to go into. Our priority is to save the lives of our officers and ranks," he added.

Khan also revealed that the country would receive assistance for the search from the United States once it resumes on Thursday. The Associated Press reported that the Guyana helicopter disappeared 30 miles east of the country's border with Venezuela, in between the Ekereku and Arau regions. An Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal sent by the Guyana helicopter signaled the emergency.

According to a Kaieteur News report, the people missing were identified as the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, co-pilot, Lieutenant Andio Michael Crawford, Corporal Dwayne Johnson, retired Brigadier Gary Beaton, Lieutenant Colonel Shaun Welcome, Colonel Michael Shaoud, and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan.

Pictures of six of the missing personnel (Image via X/@BenFRubinstein)

The disappearance of the Guyana helicopter comes at a time when tensions between Venezuela and Guyana are extremely volatile.

Ever since ExxonMobil revealed that the Essequibo region in the Venezuela-Guyana border had a plethora of oil, the region, which was already in controversial contention by both countries, skyrocketed tensions between both nations to an all-time high.

Venezuela claimed that the region had always been theirs, while Guyana stated that it was theirs as defined by international law in 1899. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro added to the tensions when a referendum he held on Sunday strengthened his claims that Venezuela held sovereignty over the region.

On Tuesday, the president even put out an order to exploit the mineral resources of the region through Venezuelan public companies and subsidiaries. The president even announced a "Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone" for the Essequibo region. Guyana President Irfaan Ali responded to Maduro's actions in an Associated Press phone interview, where he stated:

"The announcements by Venezuela are in full defiance of international law."

"Any country that so openly defies important international bodies should be of concern not only for Guyana but for all of the world," he added.

He stated that the country was taking the threat extremely seriously, and if Venezuela conducted any "reckless and adventurous" actions, the president claimed that Guyana would respond. Guyana is currently preparing for a regional response and taking the necessary precautionary measures.

The president also claimed that the country was asking for help from its allies, like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, regarding the situation. Venezuela has been moving heavy machinery and troops to the high-intensity region. It asked Guyana to resume the dialogue between the countries and declared that Guyana's actions were "erratic, threatening, and risky."