Canadian dies days after plane crash in Guyana

A Canadian citizen who was aboard a plane that crashed through a fence at Guyana’s main international airport has died, the federal government said Sunday.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs said the agency was providing consular assistance to the family, and noted that officials are in touch with local authorities to gather more information.

Eighty-two Canadians were on board a Toronto-bound Fly Jamaica aircraft that skidded off the runway after a hydraulics failure moments after departing from a Georgetown, Guyana, airport on Nov. 9, Global Affairs said previously.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the airline reported that two elderly passengers had been taken to hospital as a precaution, but said no one was seriously injured.

Global Affairs said it couldn’t provide further details on the identity of the Canadian citizen, citing privacy concerns.

Fly Jamaica did not immediately respond for a request to comment on the Canadian’s death, but in a news release on the airline’s website said it was co-operating fully with authorities investigating the crash.

“Meanwhile, our immediate focus is on the safe repatriation and welfare of all of our passengers,” said the media release.

A Toronto resident who was on board has said the plane drove over spikes that burst its tires before crashing through a chainlink fence and coming to rest at the edge of a small cliff.