A pre-candidate for Panama’s 2024 presidential election named Dimitri Flores filmed himself traveling inside a helicopter as it crashed into a Panamanian mountainside on August 10, Brazil’s Universo Online (UOL) media outlet reported on Wednesday, noting that the politician survived the crash along with four other passengers and the helicopter’s pilot.
“Six people were injured in a helicopter crash in Panama. Among the passengers was the lawyer Dimitri Flores, pre-candidate for the presidential elections in the country in 2024. The accident took place on August 10,” UOL reported on August 17.
Videos recorded by Flores before, during, and after the helicopter crash began to circulate online in recent days and UOL published some of the footage on August 17. Flores filmed a video of himself moments after the helicopter crash on August 10 in which he detailed the incident’s aftermath and asked for assistance.
“The helicopter crashed. We had an accident here at 4,500 feet in the mountains beyond Ceiba, heading towards Jaramillo. We have some broken legs and arms. There are six of us. But we have to thank God that we are alive,” Flores stated.
Panama’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed shortly after the incident that it rescued the helicopter’s six passengers and transferred them to hospitals where they were reportedly treated for “minor injuries.” The cause of the helicopter crash remains unknown pending further investigation into the incident by aviation authorities, UOL relayed on August 17, citing a report by the Panamanian news website El Siglo Digital.
An August 12 report by News Corp Australia’s News.com.au website revealed that Flores criticized Panamanian emergency services in another self-filmed video on August 10 for allegedly taking more than four hours to locate him and his flight crew in the remote mountains of western Panama.
Detailing Flores’s grievance, the news outlet wrote:
Mr Flores went on later to criticise the four hours and 20 minute wait he and the other passengers endured.
“I’m very disappointed with the authorities. They flew over here with helicopters several times, helicopters which cost us millions, but which they couldn’t land here,” he said in a separate video.
Instead, Mr Flores was greeted by two locals who managed to find the helicopter quicker than emergency services could.
“I’m very disappointed … there’s much work to be done for our country,” Mr Flores said.
Panama’s National Aeronaval Service wrote in a Twitter statement that its rescue team was forced to hike three hours on foot through the nearby jungle to reach the helicopter crash site. The service said that its staff administered first aid to helicopter passengers upon arrival and facilitated their transport to hospitals for further treatment.
Panama’s National Aeronaval Service “also praised the co-operation between emergency services and local residents who guided them through the jungle,” according to News.com.au.