3 killed in Spanish police rescue helicopter crash
A Spanish police helicopter flying to rescue a mountain
climber with a broken ankle crashed on Sunday, killing all three crew members
on board, emergency services said.
According to AFP, the helicopter's blades struck the side of
a mountain close to the Picos de Europa range in the northwestern province of Leon . The aircraft then slid down the
rock face, regional emergency services said in a statement.
Two Guardia Civil pilots and a member of a mountain rescue
team died in the accident, it said.
A fourth member of the rescue team who had already exited
the helicopter to search for the injured climber sounded the alarm, a spokesman
said.
Emergency services, including three helicopters and an
ambulance, were dispatched to the scene and found the bodies of all three men,
aged 48, 50 and 56.
The cause of the accident is under investigation but Spanish
media reported that the area was engulfed in fog at the time.
The injured climber was transported to hospital by another
police helicopter.
Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz has gone to the scene
of the accident, the ministry said.
The Picos de Europa range, although not the highest in Spain , is a
favourite among walkers, trekkers and climbers.
It is considered to be one of Europe 's
most challenging mountain ranges, with changable weather and treacherous
terrain full of chasms and gorges.
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