…airport to probe claims by family (Kaieteur News) – The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is investigating concerns raised by relatives of a deceased man who claimed that his remains were left in the sun on the airport’s tarmac for approximately four hours. The deceased, identified as Omadatt Lall, arrived in Guyana on Caribbean Airlines flight BW527 at around 10:50 a.m. last Wednesday, according to his relatives. Returning dead left baking in sun on CJIA tarmac for four hours Body reportedly 4 hours in the sun at CJIA tarmac after arriving on a Caribbean Airlines Flight. They claimed that his remains were left exposed to the sun while a hearse from a funeral parlour waited to collect the body. The relatives said the prolonged delay had left them concerned that the remains had already begun to deteriorate. According to the family, clearance was not initiated until passengers and cargo from three flights had been discharged. After waiting for approximately four hours, one of Lall’s relatives reportedly had to contact an acquaintance at Customs to help expedite the clearance process. However, even after the remains were cleared, the family encountered another obstacle, claiming that they could not find a forklift operator to assist with removing the body from the tarmac and transferring it to the waiting hearse. Unlike some major international airports, CJIA does not have a designated area for storing human remains after they are removed from arriving aircraft. CJIA, however, has mandated that all stakeholders and agencies operating at the airport and its terminals give priority to the handling of arriving human remains. Under the airport’s policy, the clearance and transfer process should begin immediately upon arrival to ensure an efficient and timely handover. The circumstances surrounding the delay have raised questions about whether the airline and ground-handling agency followed the established procedures. CJIA officials told Kaieteur News yesterday that they had only learnt of the incident when the newspaper raised the matter. - @iceboy_216