A plane contracted to do an airborne geophysical survey for U3O8 Corp. (UWE-V, UTREF-o) went missing during the afternoon of Nov. 1 in the Amazon jungle in Guyana.
Three people were on board, including Patrick Murphy, who works for geophysics specialist Terraquest Ltd. in Markham, Ont., and the pilot and first officer, identified as Wes Barker and Chris Paris. Both Barker and Paris are residents of Harrisonburg, Va., and employees of Bridgewater-based Dynamic Aviation, which was contracted by Terraquest.
An extensive search and rescue operation was launched at first light on Nov. 2 by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. The mission includes four fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters. A unit of the British Air Force undergoing jungle training in Guyana is assisting with the search.
U3O8 Corp. also has two field teams in the survey area to provide ground support as needed.
The twin-engine turboprop Beechcraft King Air was flying over rugged terrain in western Guyana, near Venezuela, when communication was lost.
U3O8 Corp., based in Toronto, is focused on exploring for uranium in the Roraima basin in Guyana. The company has exploration rights covering 13,000 sq. km.
U3O8 management say they are “deeply concerned about the missing crew,” and will provide updates as news becomes available.
Be the first to comment on "Three on board missing plane in Guyana (November 10, 2008)"