I left this area this evening and I can speak for the humanitarian community on the ground and indeed the local population when I say that the sense of loss and sadness is huge, even though those killed and injured may not have been personally known, be under no doubt that they, and all the helo crews, that have operated in this disaster are held as heroes. The number of lives they have saved and the suffering they cut short will never be known, and its continuing every day.
One of my guys took a grainy photo of 02 and her sister 21 on the ramp at BTJ when J Howard came to visit, he framed it and hung it over his desk with some other photos. As soon as it was realised that she was the helo involved in this accident, people have been coming to look and have been stuffing flowers around it all day.
RIP Guys & Girls.