1st LD Writethru: Serbian military helicopter crash kills seven people

A military helicopter crash in Serbian capital Belgrade killed seven people, government officials have confirmed.

Four pilots, two medical staff and a one-week-old baby died Friday night when an army helicopter crashed near the Belgrade's airport due to severe weather, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a government session on Friday.

The cabinet has voted to make Sunday a national day of mourning.

The pilots were sent to the southern region of Raska to help transport the baby, who was in a critical health condition, after an ambulance carrying the baby was stranded due to a landslide blocking the road, government officials revealed at a press conference.

Brigade general Predrag Bandic told journalists that the flight was operated by experienced pilots with over 1,000 hours of flight, and the MI-17 transport helicopter was one of Serbia's best.

The helicopter encountered a complex meteorological situation while entering Belgrade, which caused them to decide to change their initially-planned landing site and head to the main airport, government sources said.

The pilot tried to land at the runway several times but failed due to heavy fog, according to Bandic. The helicopter lost communication with the flight control at around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT) Friday.

Ljubisa Dikovic, chief of the Serbian Armed Forces, said an investigation has been launched at the scene of the accident. Enditem