2 pilots killed in Ecuadorian navy helicopter crash
The Bell 430 helicopter was on a planned mission when it crashed at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT) in the Juntas del Pacifico commune in Santa Elena, the navy said in a statement.
QUITO: An Ecuadorian navy helicopter crashed on Monday in the southwestern coastal province of Santa Elena, killing two pilots onboard.
The Bell 430 helicopter was on a planned mission when it crashed at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT) in the Juntas del Pacifico commune in Santa Elena, the navy said in a statement.
Rescuers have located the crash site of the helicopter and retrieved the bodies of the two pilots, according to the statement.
The cause of the helicopter crash, the second such incident for the Ecuadorian Armed Forces in less than two weeks, has yet to be revealed.
On April 26, an army helicopter crashed in the eastern Amazonian province of Pastaza, killing eight, including five soldiers and three civilians, while transporting humanitarian aid to flood victims.
-Xinhua
