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Ecuadorian defense minister
killed in air crash
Ecuadorian Defense Minister
Guadalupe Larriva on Wednesday
night died in an air crash, due
to the mid-air collision of two
military helicopters, officials
said.
"The minister, her daughter and
five officials of the Ecuadorian
Army were killed in the
accident," Interior Minister
Gustavo Larrea told reporters.
The 50-year-old Larriva, the
South American country's first
female defense minister, was in
one of the helicopters when the
accident occurred at about 9:00
p.m. on Wednesday (0200 GMT
Thursday) near the military base
in Manta, some 260 km southeast
of the capital Quito.
According to the official
reports, the accident took place
as the two helicopters were
conducting a night military
exercise near the base. The
blades collided and the two
aircrafts crashed in mid-air.
No senior military officers were
killed in the accident, reports
added.
Larriva was appointed by
President Rafael Correa and took
office on Jan. 15.
Correa arrived at the scene and
expressed his condolences.
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