Seven soldiers die in Venezuela helicopter crash

Seven soldiers die in Venezuela helicopter crash

2012-03-30 09:39:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BNO NEWS) -- A military helicopter crashed Thursday morning during an operation against drug traffickers in southwest Venezuela, killing all seven crew members on board, officials at the country's Ministry of Defense said.

The accident happened at around 5:15 a.m. local time when the Super Puma 2216 aircraft, belonging to the Venezuelan Air Force, went down in a field near Yagual in the country's state of Apure near the border with Colombia, approximately 600 kilometers (372 miles) southwest of Caracas.

The press office of the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense confirmed all seven crew members were killed in the crash, which happened while the helicopter was taking part in a military operation against drug traffickers in the region. The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

The victims were identified as pilot Captain José Ramón Garrido Salcedo, co-pilot Lieutenant Carlos Eduardo Martínez Salvatierra, Major Joel Lamuño Rojas, Freddy Vásquez Carrasquero, Víctor Barrios López, José Yrumba Chávez and Alexis Montevideo Córdova.

A committee has been formed to investigate the circumstances of the accident. Both President Hugo Chávez and Defense Minister Henry Rangel Silva expressed their condolences after the accident. "Eternal life to those who gave their lives for their country," Chávez said.

On January 19, five people were killed when a Bell Long Ranger 206 helicopter crashed on the Auyantepui Mountain peak in Canaima National Park in the state of Bolivar. The mountain is famous for Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, which was discovered by U.S. pilot Jimmie Angel in the 1930s when his plane crashed on Auyantepui.

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