Italian serviceman dead in Navy helicopter crash

ROME, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A member of a five-man helicopter crew died in a crash in the central Mediterranean overnight, the Italian Navy said in a statement Friday.

The SH 212 helicopter fell into the sea and tipped over near its base ship during a training exercise involving the use of night vision goggles, the Navy said.

Scuba divers extracted serviceman Andrea Fazio from the helicopter and he died during attempts at resuscitation. The other four crew members -- two pilots and two sharpshooters -- escaped unharmed but are in a state of shock, the statement said.

Outgoing Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti tweeted her sympathies with the family of the deceased serviceman, "a Navy helicopter specialist".

The accident may have been caused by adverse weather, the Navy said.

The crew were deployed as part of Italy's "Mare Sicuro" (Safe Sea) operation, which began in 2015 and which is tasked with patrolling the central Mediterranean and fighting illegal immigration and human trafficking. Enditem