In Brief
- Tragic Loss: An air ambulance crash off the coast of the US has claimed the lives of six people, including two Bermudian patients and four Canadian crew members.
- Shared Sorrow: Turks and Caicos Islands Premier Charles Washington Misick sent a letter of condolence to Bermuda Premier David Burt, highlighting the deep historical ties between the two British Overseas Territories.
- Vital Services: Premier Misick noted that both island nations rely heavily on medical evacuations, making the tragedy resonate deeply within the TCI community.
- Search Suspended: The US Coast Guard has suspended its search for the Gulfstream G100 jet, with a formal investigation to follow.
COCKBURN TOWN, Turks and Caicos Islands (CMC) – Premier Charles Washington Misick says the recent crash of an air ambulance aircraft carrying six people, including two Bermudians, underscores the ties between the two islands that extend beyond being British Overseas Territories (BOT).
“We also share an intimate understanding of the importance of medical evacuation services to island communities. Like Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands relies significantly on these services to connect our people with specialised and life-saving care overseas,” Misick said in a letter to his Bermudian counterpart, David Burt. “We understand the hope that accompanies such a journey, the hope of a patient seeking care, of a loved one travelling by their side, and of the medical and aviation professionals entrusted with bringing them safely to that care. It is especially painful that a journey undertaken in the hope of healing should have ended in such profound loss,” Misick wrote in his letter.
Earlier this week, Premier Burt said he had remained hopeful that all six people on board the aircraft that left Bermuda for the United States last Saturday would be found even as the United States Coast Guard suspended its search for them.
The aircraft, a Gulfstream G100 jet, belongs to Latitude Air Ambulance, a Hamilton-based medical evacuation company.
In announcing the decision to suspend the search for the aircraft carrying the two Bermudians and four Canadians, the US Coast Guard Northeast District said a “future investigation into the cause of the incident will be co-ordinated by the appropriate investigative authorities.”
In his letter, Premier Misick said he was saddened at the loss of Bermudians Marilyn Lavonne Bean and her son, Sergio Wayne Lottimore, together with the four Canadian crew members.
“For the Turks and Caicos Islands, this tragedy carries a particular resonance. The ties between our islands extend beyond our shared status as British Overseas Territories. Our peoples are connected by centuries of history, with Bermudians playing an important role in the early settlement and development of the Turks Islands.”
Misick said the work of the four Canadian professionals, Captain Philip Childerhose, First Officer Thomas Farquhar, Flight Nurse Sarah Paton and Respiratory Therapist Jolene Weir, placed them “in positions of immense trust and responsibility, serving patients and families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.”
“We mourn their loss alongside the people of Bermuda and Canada and extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues,” Misick wrote, adding that “the sorrow occasioned by this tragedy reaches far beyond Bermuda’s shores.”
“Yet, in the midst of such tremendous grief, I pray that the families of those lost will draw strength from the compassion and support being extended to them from Bermuda, Canada, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the wider international community.”
“Premier Burt, please know that the Government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands stand with you and the people of Bermuda during this difficult time. Please convey our deepest sympathies to the families of Ms. Bean and Mr. Lottimore and to the wider Bermudian community as it mourns this heartbreaking loss.”
