All news

UN mission in Congo confirms death of four Russian helicopter crew

The rescue team has finally reached the site of the crash and recovered all four bodies
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

PRETORIA, March 12 (Itar-Tass) – The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday officially confirmed that a Russian helicopter of the YTair company with a crew of four met with an accident. There were no survivors.

"The MONUSCO /United Nation Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo/ is now in a position to confirm the death of the 4 crew members of the helicopter. The rescue team has finally reached the site of the crash and recovered all four bodies, MONUSCO spokesperson Carlo Araujo told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

The helicopter crashed 20 kilometers off the town of Bukavu in the province of South Kivu. The Mi-8 helicopter was performing a charter flight for the UN en route Shabunda-Bukavu in adverse weather conditions in a highland area. It crashed in remote mountain jungle terrain at al altitude of 2.7 kilometers.

"We cannot release the names before informing the next of kin," Araujo said.