Management at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has launched an investigation after relatives of a deceased man alleged that his body was left exposed to the sun on the airport tarmac for approximately four hours following arrival on an international flight.
The deceased, identified as Omadatt Lall, arrived in Guyana aboard Caribbean Airlines flight BW527 at around 10:50 a.m. last Wednesday. According to his family, his remains were left on the tarmac while a hearse waited to collect them, raising severe concerns that the body had begun to deteriorate due to the prolonged heat.
Family members stated that clearance procedures were delayed until passengers and cargo from three separate arriving flights had been processed. The family reported taking action after waiting nearly four hours, when a relative contacted an acquaintance at Customs to help expedite the clearance.
Even after obtaining clearance, the family faced additional delays attempting to locate a forklift operator to transfer the body from the tarmac to the waiting hearse. CJIA currently lacks a dedicated, climate-controlled storage facility for human remains after they are offloaded from arriving aircraft.
Under established CJIA policy, airport stakeholders and handling agencies are mandated to prioritize the clearance and transfer of human remains immediately upon arrival.
Airport officials stated they were unaware of the incident until it was brought to their attention by news reporters. CJIA confirmed that an investigation is underway and noted that both Caribbean Airlines and the ground-handling agency will be required to account for the delay.
