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Tag: Helicopter

  • Helicopter crash: UN confirms death of 8 peacekeepers

    Helicopter crash: UN confirms death of 8 peacekeepers

    UN on Tuesday confirmed that eight peacekeepers on board the helicopter that crashed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) died.

    UN Spokesperson, Mr Stephane Dujarric, in a statement, said no one survived the crash.

    “With deep sadness we confirm that there are no survivors among the eight peacekeepers who were on board the helicopter that went missing and crashed earlier today in North Kivu.

    “A search and rescue operation was undertaken and the bodies of the deceased peacekeepers have been brought to Goma.

    “We convey our condolences to the governments and families of the six crew members from Pakistan and the two military staff from Russia and Serbia.

    “An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is underway,’’ he said.

    Earlier at a news conference, Dujarric said rescue operation was underway, after a Puma helicopter lost contact with UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and crashed in the restive North Kivu region.

    He said there had been eight people on board, including six crew members – all from the Pakistani military – and two military personnel – one from Russia, and another from Serbia.

    “They had been on a reconnaissance mission in the area of Tshanzu, south-east of Rutshuru – the scene of recent clashes between Congolese forces and M23.

    “Our thoughts are obviously with the families and friends of those onboard the helicopter, and all of our colleagues of the UN Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

  • Police helicopter pilot shot, eight dead during wild shoot-out

    Police helicopter pilot shot, eight dead during wild shoot-out

    At least eight people are dead and five police officers injured after a wild shoot-out with automatic weapons in Johannesburg.

    Police Minister Bheki Cele said on national television that a police helicopter was also fired on by the gang of about 25, resulting in the co-pilot being shot.

    The shooting was preceded by a wild chase in the Rosettenville district, eight suspects have been arrested and nine others are still being sought.

    The perpetrators were travelling in high-horsepower stolen cars and had automatic assault rifles and substantial amounts of ammunition.

    According to the minister, they had planned an attack on an armoured car.

    The fact that criminals from neighbouring Zimbabwe and Botswana were also members of the gang fuelled an already heated debate on Tuesday on the country’s social media about deporting foreigners.

    South Africa has one of the worst crime statistics in the world.

    Cele had announced while presenting crime statistics, that police had recorded a total of 6,859 murders between October and December 2021, or more than 74 murders per day on average.

    The minister called for further intensification of the fight against crime.

  • Military helicopter with Defence chief aboard crashes

    Military helicopter with Defence chief aboard crashes

    Indian Air Force on Wednesday confirmed that there was an accident with an Indian military helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat aboard.

    Earlier, the media had reported that the helicopter crashed, and a search and rescue operation had been launched.

    Nine people were on board the copper and three were rescued, according to the India Today news agency.

    “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.

    An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,’’ the air force tweeted.

  • Helicopter shoots passenger boat in Rivers

    Helicopter shoots passenger boat in Rivers

    A yet-to-be identified helicopter has reportedly shot at a local passenger boat travelling from Port Harcourt to Bonny in Rivers State.

    There are fears of casualties, with some occupants severely hurt and rushed to the hospital.

    An eye witnesses at the Bonny-Nembe waterside where the boat took off from in Port Harcourt, told newsmen that there were casualties.

    While expressing surprise over the sad incident, he said that the boat conveyed passengers and foodstuff.

    “The local boat that just left here to Bonny, within the Treasure Island area, a chopper or I will call it a flight helicopter, just came behind, went very low and started shooting at the wooden boat.

    “From the information we got from a boat driver, there were passengers in the boat. The boat also contained foodstuff such as garri, rice and other items.

    “Everyone knows that is the route transporting foodstuff to Bonny. Some people died in the boat,” he claimed

     

  • Army helicopter crashes in dam

    Army helicopter crashes in dam

    A helicopter belonging to the Indian army on Tuesday crashed in a dam in the northern state of Punjab, local media reports said.

    So far there have been no immediate reports of any casualty in the crash.

    The helicopter crashed in Ranjit Sagar Dam of Pathankot district.

    “We received information that an army helicopter has crashed in the lake. We rushed our teams to the spot,’’ police official of Pathankot, Surendra Lamba was quoted by a local news agency as having said.

    Reports said two pilots from the army aviation Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv helicopter on board survived the crash.

    The helicopter was on a routine sortie.

    “The weapon system integrated helicopter had taken off from Pathankot and met with the accident,’’ another report quoting its sources said.

  • Reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in Kaduna fake news – Official

    Reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in Kaduna fake news – Official

    Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, says reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in the state is false.

    Aruwan said in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna that the report was a fake news alert.

    “The attention of the Kaduna State Government has been drawn to the circulation of a story by certain blogs and social media pages alleging that helicopters supplied gunmen with arms at Ungwan Dankali and Tsallaken Dogo in Zaria Local Government Area on the night of Jan. 6.

    The commissioner said following the publications, the Kaduna State Government was inundated with enquiries from people of the state who expressed concern as to the veracity of the story.

    “The state government hereby wish to inform residents that from thorough checks conducted by security agencies and Human Intelligence networks, the story is entirely false and misleading,’’ he said.

    Aruwan advised citizens to treat the story as an outright falsehood, and denied the report in all media channels.

    According to him, security operatives are trying to trace origin of the fake story.

    He said government remains committed to working with security agencies for peace and security.

    The commissioner urged people of the state complement government’s efforts by volunteering useful information to security agencies and to avoid spreading false and unverified reports.

    He noted that the Kaduna State Security Operations Room remains open to residents to volunteer useful information on phone lines: 09034000060, 08170189999 and via email: internal.security@kdsg.gov.ng .

  • Sad! Five dead as helicopter crashes in France

    Sad! Five dead as helicopter crashes in France

    A helicopter crashed on Tuesday evening in Savoie, southeast France, killing five persons, French media reported.

    The French Air Service (Service Aerien Francais, or SAF) helicopter with six people on board crashed at around 7:00 p.m., from an altitude of 1,800 meters in the town of Bonvillard in Savoie, according to BFM TV.

    The pilot of the helicopter who managed to eject himself sent an alert and contact was established with one of the occupants of the aircraft.

    More than 40 personnel are engaged in the search and rescue operations, it added.

    French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “To save lives, they take all the risks.

    “Tonight in Savoie, 3 members of the French Air Rescue (SAF) and 2 CRS Alpes succumbed to a helicopter crash.”

    Macron stated that a wounded person is fighting for life, and expressed condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of “these French heroes.”

    CRS Alpes is a unit of the National Police specialised in mountain rescue in the Alps.

    The SAF group is a private company which owns some 40 helicopters covering operations including emergency rescue, passenger transport and aerial work.

     

  • Two military helicopters collide; 9 soldiers dead

    Two military helicopters collide; 9 soldiers dead

    Two helicopters on Wednesday crashed in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand, killing nine people aboard, the ministry of defence said.

    In a statement, the ministry said that the helicopters crashed overnight due to technical issues while taking off, the incident is under investigation.

    Two local officials told dpa that the helicopters collided while they were evacuating wounded soldiers from a battleground in the province’s Nawa district and were forced to land immediately.

    According to local media, they were on a mission to send reinforcements to the district and carry out wounded soldiers.

    For a week, Taliban militants have been attacking various parts of the southern province including the capital city of Lashkargah, amid no apparent progress in intra-Afghan peace talks.

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    The insurgents have cut the power supply to the city and the roads have been bombed, while the government’s Special Forces are hitting Taliban positions from the air and ground.

    The violence has taken a toll on both civilians and military personnel, but no exact number has been published yet.

    Around 35,000 people have fled heavy fighting in Helmand province in recent days, with the United Nations estimating on Tuesday that around 200 have been killed or injured during the massive Taliban offensive.

  • Identities of pilot, co-pilot of Lagos crashed helicopter revealed

    Identities of pilot, co-pilot of Lagos crashed helicopter revealed

    The pilot of the ill-fated Bell 206 helicopter that crashed in Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, has been identified.

    He was Chika Prudence Ernest.

    Also identified with him was the co-pilot, Clement Ndiok.

    However, the identity of the third person, who was a passenger in the helicopter could not be confirmed. He died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on Friday night.

    The identities of the victims were revealed by Africa Aviation Group.

    This was as Quorum Aviation Limited, the owner of the light plane, kept mum over their identities, more than 12 hours after the tragic accident.

    The helicopter was flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos when it crashed into a house on Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja.

    There was no injury to any one on the ground.

     

  • Residents narrate ordeal after helicopter crash in Lagos

    Residents narrate ordeal after helicopter crash in Lagos

    Some residents of Salvation Road in Opebi area of Ikeja, Lagos have expressed shock over the crash of a helicopter into a building, thanking God for saving their lives.

    The residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the incident on Friday called for proper maintenance of aircraft before flying.

    Mrs Grace Awolaja, a resident told NAN that it was shocking and surprising to experience such an unexpected incident.

    According to Awolaja, the helicopter was seen hovering in the sky for some minutes before crashing into the building.

    “We thank God that nobody was affected in the building but l learnt that the pilot and two people died,’’ Awolaja said.

    Another resident, Alhaji Saliu Bamidele, suggested that engine seizure might be responsible for the crash.

    Bamidele said that the helicopter crashed at the back of house No. 16, Salvation Road, damaging two cars and the fence of the building.

    Mr Mark Okeke, a fabric shop owner in front of the building, told NAN that the helicopter was cited in the air struggling to crash-land in the canal but “suddenly pick up and faced the building’’.

    “We just heard loud sound with heavy dust from the house.

    “Many occupants of the building were not at home.

    “However, the pilot and three others on board of the helicopter were found dead.

    The Acting Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed to NAN that the helicopter belonged to Quorum Aviation Ltd.

    Ibrahim said that the incident occurred at about 12.47 p.m. at 16, Salvation Road, Opebi, Lagos.

    He confirmed that two persons died immediately while one person was taken to the intensive Care Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    “The helicopter, Bell 206 with registration number 5N-BQW, which was returning from training in Port Harcourt crashed into a building at No. 16A Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja,’’ Farinloye said.

    An official of the Accident Investigations Bureau (AIB) also confirmed the incident, saying that emergency services operators had been deployed to the scene.

    The General Manager, Public Affairs of AIB, Tunji Oketunbi said that the AIB team of investigators were also on ground at the scene of the incident.

    Oketunbi assured that the bureau would begin investigations into the crash immediately.