Presidential Helicopter
Crashes in Bolivia,
Kills 5
A military helicopter
given by Venezuela to
Bolivian President Evo
Morales crashed in a
mountainous zone and
five militaries aboard
died, according to
information reaching
here from La Paz,
administrative capital
of Bolivia on Monday.
The helicopter took off
at 3:30 p.m. local time
(1930 GTM) on Sunday
from the city of
Cochabamba, where it
stopped for refueling.
It crashed near Colomi,
department of
Cochabamba, center of
Bolivia.
The remains of the
helicopter were found
early Monday morning in
the small village of
Colomi in Cochabamba, a
mountainous area 250 km
east from La Paz,
Bolivian Defense
Minister Walker San
Miguel said.
Bolivian militaries went
to the scene to
investigate the cause of
the accident and to
recover the bodies of
the victims, San Miguel
said.
San Miguel said he did
not know the cause of
the accident.
Morales is sane and safe
as he was not traveling
aboard the helicopter.
The helicopter Super
Puma, of the Venezuelan
Aerial Force (FAV),
transported Morales to
the department of Oruro
on Sunday.
The victims were four
Venezuelan and one
Bolivian military. The
military helicopter was
one of those which
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez had given to
Morales in 2006.
The helicopter crash
"are news that has
touched us because they
were staff very close to
the presidential
transport, to the
transport of the
Government Palace," San
Miguel said, adding "the
helicopter was fully
operative and with
proper maintenance."
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