Two killed in Haiti-Dominican chopper crash
Two men killed in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic were
US citizens supporting relief operations in quake-devastated Haiti, a US
official said Friday.
Dominican authorities said late Thursday that the bodies of the pilot
and co-pilot were recovered from the wreckage of a helicopter which
crashed in mountainous jungle around 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) in the province
of Dajabon, 305 kilometers (190 miles) northwest of the capital Santo
Domingo.
"The helicopter owner and the helicopter pilot, both US citizens, are
presumed to have perished in the crash," press officer David Searby of
the US Embassy in Santo Domingo told AFP.The aircraft, identified by
Dominican authorities as an R44 civil four-seater produced by US-based
Robinson Helicopter Company, "was ferrying relief supplies and doctors
for the victims of the Haiti earthquake back and forth between Santiago
(in northern Dominican Republic) and various places along the Haiti-DR
border and in Haiti," Searby said in an email.
"Both men were working independently supporting the relief work for
the victims of the Haiti earthquake in conjunction with ongoing private
relief efforts for earthquake victims." -AFP
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