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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 2d52249ce8At least 1 dead in National Guard chopper crash in Puerto Rico
December 21, 2010 -- Updated 1335 GMT (2135 HKT)
The crash occurred late Monday, the Coast Guard says
The wreckage was found in the water near San Juan
(CNN) -- At least one person was killed when a National Guard helicopter crashed in waters off San Juan, Puerto Rico, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said Tuesday, citing preliminary information.
"The preliminary information we have ... is that the wreckage of (the) Army National Guard aircraft was found in the water near San Juan," spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere told CNN in an e-mail.
The aircraft was destroyed, she said.
The crash occurred late Monday, according to Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Moorlag of the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami, Florida.
The Coast Guard received the call to help late Monday night with search and rescue efforts, said Ricardo Castrodad, spokesman for the Coast Guard in San Juan. He said three crew members and three passengers -- one guard and two civilians from Puerto Rico -- were on board.
The UH 72 Lakota helicopter departed from San Juan Monday night, he said. It was located one nautical mile northeast from the Puerto Rican coast. Castrodad did not provide information on casualties, but said the search for survivors was ongoing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-cana ... 2936[quote] 21 December 2010 Last updated at 15:14 GMT6 feared dead in guard copter crash in Puerto Rico
(AP) – 2 hours ago
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter crashed in the ocean while returning from a drug raid. The body of one of the six people on board has been found and the remaining five are feared dead, officials said Tuesday.
The body was found nearly a mile (1.5 kilometers) off the coast in front of the Grand Melia resort late Tuesday morning, said Nino Correa, search and rescue director of the Emergency Management Agency. The victim has not yet been identified.
Crews are searching for the remaining passengers, and Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told NotiUno radio station that officials found the fuselage of the UH-72 helicopter just north of the island.
It is unclear what caused the crash. The helicopter was returning from the neighboring island of Vieques when it disappeared late Monday just north of the coastal city of Rio Grande. One pilot had 10 years of experience and the other had at least six years, and neither reported any problems during the flight, said National Guard Gen. Antonio Vicens.
"The communication disappeared," he said.
Two of the passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department and the other four are officials with the National Guard, three of them crew members, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad.
The prosecutors, Francisco Mujica de Leon and Mario Torres Marin, worked for the division of organized crimes, said Justice Secretary Guillermo Somoza, adding that he has known both of them for more than seven years. Torres is president of the Association of Prosecutors.
"It is an extremely sad, difficult and painful day," Mujica de Leon said. "They were extremely dedicated prosecutors who went the extra mile."
The others aboard the helicopter were not identified pending notification of their relatives, officials said.
The helicopter was flying at about 400 feet (123 meters) and was fairly new, having been bought in May 2009, Vicens said.
It apparently changed its route, but it is unclear why.
The officials had been in Vieques to help serve 43 arrest warrants after a seven-month investigation into drug dealers on an island popular with tourists. Several housewives were among the suspects, according to justice spokesman Fidel Rodriguez.
The group is suspected of earning more than $2 million a year, he said.
Among the officials involved in the raid were 36 members of the U.S. National Guard, which has been helping Puerto Rican police battle the island's rising crime.
The U.S. Caribbean territory of 4 million people has registered its third-worst year for homicides, with more than 920 people reported killed this year. A record 995 people were killed in 1994.
US National Guard helicopter crashes near Puerto Rico
A US National Guard helicopter has crashed in the ocean off the northern coast of Puerto Rico, with all six passengers aboard feared dead, officials have said.
The group was reportedly returning from a drug raid on the island of Vieques.
Two passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department, while the four others are National Guard officials, the US Coast Guard said.
Rescue workers are searching for those onboard, local officials said.
The helicopter apparently changed route before the crash due to poor weather, the Associated Press reported.
The group was returning from the neighbouring island of Vieques when it disappeared late on Monday night north of the coastal city of Rio Grande.
Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told local radio station NotiUno the fuselage of the UH-72 helicopter had been found north of the island.
Both of the two pilots had years of flying experience, and neither one reported any problems during the flight, Mr Figueroa said.
"It is an extremely sad, difficult and painful day," he said.
"They were extremely dedicated prosecutors who went the extra mile," he added, referring to the employees of the local justice department.
The officials had been in Vieques to help serve 43 arrest warrants after a seven-month investigation into drug dealers in Vieques.
Puerto Rico is a US Caribbean territory with approximately 4 million residents.[/quote]
