Bodies retrieved from crashed Spanish helicopter

MADRID, Spain – Rescue crews on Friday, October 30, retrieved the bodies of two of the three crew members who died when a Spanish military helicopter crashed in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa, the defense ministry said.

“The continued effort by the Spanish navy divers throughout the day has allowed for the retrieval of two of the three deceased troops,” the minister said in a Twitter message.

“The lack of light as night arrived prevents the work from continuing. The work will resume in the early morning.”

The helicopter went down on October 22, about 280 nautical miles (520 kilometers) from an air base on Gando, its destination on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, off the coast of Morocco.

Days of searching

It had set off from Mauritania after refuelling following two weeks of military exercises in Senegal.

Spain’s defense ministry said at the time that Morocco had said the crew members had been rescued by a fishing vessel which was taking them to Dakhla, a town in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.

But the following day Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes said the information provided by the Moroccan authorities turned out to be wrong and rescuers resumed the search.

Spanish searchers spent days searching until they located the submerged cabin of the helicopter on Thursday, October 29, with the dead crew members inside.

Morones met with relatives of the deceased again on Friday to inform them of the latest developments, the defense ministry said.

The ministry has not said what may have caused the helicopter to go down. – Rappler.com