Three people were injured, one critically, after a quake-relief helicopter made a forced landing in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday because of a mechanical failure, said an official with the Shifang Municipal Quake Relief and Rescue Headquarters.

The injured were evacuated by another helicopter.

The first helicopter was damaged in the landing, the official said.

The copter was heading to Shifang City to carry out a wild animal rescue mission and epidemic prevention work when it encountered mechanical problems.

An earlier report said no one was injured in the accident, quoting sources with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The Super Puma helicopter landed in an open field at the Happy Valley entertainment park in Hongbai Town, Shifang City, Sichuan at 12:35 PM, the official said.

The chopper had 13 crew and quake relief staff aboard when the accident happened. The aircraft belongs to the Citic Offshore Helicopter Co. Ltd.

The helicopter was supposed to evacuate two endangered white lions and one white tiger, which had been trapped in the park since the May 12 quake, to the Bifengxia Zoo in Ya'an City, the West China City Daily reported on Wednesday.

Road access to the park in Yinghua Mountain was blocked by massive landslides after the quake and power supply in the park was cut off. A Xinhua reporter was blocked en route to the park on Wednesday evening.

More than 400 park staff walked nine hours and crossed two mountains to escape from the May 12 quake.

Three animal keepers carrying 32 kg of beef walked to the park on June 5. The white tiger and two white lions, that nearly starved to death, recovered after eating beef and drinking salted water.

The Deyang municipal government this week made an agreement with the airborne force to airlift the animals out of the park. A helicopter carrying soldiers and forest bureau officials from Shifang City searched around the park on Monday to find a landing place.

A reporter from the West China Daily was to take the helicopter on Wednesday morning and witness the rescue effort, the newspaper reported.

The Happy Valley park is an alpine scenic spot, attracting tourists and explorers.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2008)