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1st LD Writethru: 2 UN peacekeepers killed in helicopter crash in northern Mali

Xinhua, March 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

A combat helicopter for the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) crashed on Tuesday near Gao, northern Mali, killing two crew members, the mission said in a statement.

The accident occurred when the Apache helicopter "was trying to make emergency landing" at around 1:00 p.m. local time, some 42 km from Gao.

"The two crew members lost their lives during the accident that occurred during a training session by a Dutch contingent of MINUSMA in the zone," the statement said.

The medical team that was immediately deployed to the ground did not manage to save the lives of the crew members, the statement added.

MINUSMA immediately deployed teams to secure the site. The mission's specialized investigators as well as those from Netherlands are expected to launch investigations to establish the exact cause of the accident.

Netherlands has deployed to Mali, through MINUSMA, 450 soldiers, with four Apache helicopters and three Chinook helicopters. Endi