Seven people, including two senior Zambian military officials, died after a United Nations helicopter crashed late Wednesday into the sea off the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, a military source said Thursday.
A military official said on condition of anonymity that the dead included five Ukranian crew members, one unidentified person, and two Zambian officers who had been heading to the Freetown airport to welcome incoming Zambian army chief of staff.
He said three bodies had been recovered and rescue teams were searching for the other bodies.
The MI-8 helicopter crashed in the sea shortly after taking off from the Mammy Yoko heliport adjoining the UN headquarters at around 8:00 pm local time.
It was flying to Lungi, Freetown's international airport, which lies across the bay -- FREETOWN, (AFP)
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