4 die in UN helicopter crash in DR Congo

KINSHASA – The four-member crew of a helicopter belonging to the UN was killed when the chopper crashed into a hill in Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, a UN military spokesman said Sunday.

Colonel Proser Basse said the crew members were all Russian. Rescue teams had not yet got to the wreckage due to bad weather, he said.

According to a report on local UN-sponsored Radio Okapi, the helicopter was returning to the regional capital Bukavu after a mission west of the town.

Western military sources said the chopper crashed around 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Bukavu.

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