Spanish military find missing helicopter in Atlantic

The Spanish ministry of defense confirmed late on Tuesday that the wreckage from the Super Puma helicopter which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while en route from Senegal to the Canary Islands Thursday last week had been located.

The cabin of the helicopter, which was carrying a three-man crew, was discovered by search teams 40 meters under water. Attempts will be made on Thursday to raise it to the surface.

Although Defense Minister Pedro Morenes has spoken to the families of the crewmen, there is no news for the moment about the fate of the crew, with the judge in charge of the investigation confirming he "did not have knowledge their bodies were in the cockpit."

It has also been pointed out that the site of the helicopter on the seabed is not necessarily the crash site, given that it could have been carried for several kilometers by currents thereby further complicating the search for the crew.

Speaking last weekend, Morenes said the Spanish government was "studying all hypotheses regarding their fate," refusing even to rule out the possibility they could have been kidnapped.

However, the defense ministry has also commented that the only fishing boat in the area around the time of the accident was a Dutch vessel, whose occupants assured they had not seen anyone in the helicopter cabin prior to it sinking.

The incident began in controversy and misunderstanding after it was first confirmed the crew had been rescued by the Moroccan military only for that statement to be retracted.

Morenes blamed the false report on a misunderstanding, saying Morocco had sent a fax saying the crew had been rescued. Endit