An aircraft equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology which appears to be able to map the terrain below the jungle canopy has joined the search and rescue operation for the US registered plane that went missing almost a month ago in the Cuyuni area.

According to Nancy Chan-Palmateer, Vice President, Investor Relations of U3O8 Corp, the ground search continues but it has not yielded any results. She said reaching the different areas by “foot is slow going given the dense jungle, rainy weather conditions and rugged terrain.”

She told Stabroek News via email that the field crews will continue to search other areas of interest as directed to them by the “analysts reviewing the images gathered during the air search. 

“We will continue to do what we can to help locate the three missing men.  The effort by all involved has been amazing, and we continue to pray for the crew and their families,” she said.

The Guyana government last week called off the search for the missing plane stating that the three occupants had perished. However, the three companies with whom the three men on the plane are employed will continue the search.

Americans James Wesley Barker, 28, and Chris Paris, 23, the Captain and First Officer, respectively, along with Canadian Patrick Murphy, a geophysics technician were on board the plane. The aircraft was chartered from Dynamic Aviation Inc by Terraquest Ltd to conduct geophysical surveys on behalf of Prometheus Resources (Guyana) Inc, a subsidiary of the Toronto-based U3O8 Corporation. The aircraft was scheduled to operate in the Chi Chi – Imbaimadai area located in Cuyuni and following four hours, thirty minutes in the area it was expected to return to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.