Van Embricqs : “It is a miracle”
“It is a miracle that the helicopter and the human remains were found,” said Jerrel van Embricqs, manager at Hi-Jet Helicopters. The people at Hi Jet had been searching high and low for the 2 missing crew members and the helicopters for the past two and a half years. When asked if the helicopter crashed near the Jangbasigado mountain in the Matawai area as a result of a human error or a technical error Van Embricqs did not comment but explained that the aviation authorities will investigate the cause of the helicopter crash. He could not indicate how long the investigation would last. The manager at Hi-Jet Helicopters explained that an explosion took place after the helicopter had gone down. He reportedly based his suspicions on the wreckage that he saw when he arrived at the crash site last week. A portion of the helicopter had burnt out and parts of the helicopter were also scattered at the crash site. He pointed out that the pilot, Donovan van Embricqs, and the technician, Ryatno Kertodikromo, had died instantly as a result of the impact of the crash. Despite the tragic event, the relatives and friends of Donovan van Embricqs and Ryatno Kertodikromo can finally close this painful chapter and give their loved ones a proper resting place. The burial will not take place any time soon because the bones that are at the morgue still have to be identified by investigators.
The manager also pointed out that no efforts were spared these past two and a half years to find the missing crew members and the helicopter. Dozens of flights operations were carried out in the area where it was suspected that the aircraft had crashed. Search parties were also deployed on land to comb the forest. About $ 2million has reportedly been spent on the search operations.
Van Embricqs explained that about one seventh of Suriname was combed during these operations. “The thick forest made it very difficult to locate the missing people and the aircraft. The road that leads to the crash site was deforested about 6 months ago. Workers of a Malaysian company stumbled upon the crash site by chance on Wednesday.” The Hi Jet helicopter reportedly disappeared off the radar on May 23, 2015. The helicopter had flown to the Sipaliwini area to deliver ballots. When the helicopter was on its way back to Paramaribo it got caught in bad weather and went down in the Matawai region.