Seven bodies found at scene of helicopter crash in Italy

Seven bodies found at scene of helicopter crash in Italy
June 11, 2022, 5:49 pm

Fire brigade perform a search operation for a helicopter that vanished on Thursday with seven people aboard, including four Turkish businessmen, in Pievepelago, Italy, June 10, 2022. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS

Local authorities in Italy said on Saturday (June 11) that rescuers have found the bodies of seven people killed in a helicopter crash in Italy, two days after the aircraft disappeared from radar screens.

The helicopter had taken off on Thursday (June 9) from Lucca in Tuscany and was heading towards the northern city of Treviso when it was lost in bad weather over a remote area.

The prefect's office in the city of Modena said in a statement: "The rescuers have found dead the seven passengers from the helicopter, four of Turkish and two of Lebanese nationality, who were on a business trip to Italy. As well as the Italian pilot.”

The statement said that the helicopter was found in a mountainous area on the border between Tuscany and the Emilia Romagna region.

Seven bodies found at scene of helicopter crash in Italy - Reuters

Prosecutors have cordoned off the area as part of the investigation into the incident.

A rescuer said in a video posted on the Italian Air Force Twitter account: "We got the coordinates, we went to the site and found everything burnt. The helicopter is basically inside a valley, near a stream.”

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The company said in a statement, the Turkish businessmen worked for Eczacibasi Consumer Products, a subsidiary of major Turkish industrial group Eczacibasi. They had been attending a paper technologies fair in Italy.

A person close to the matter told Reuters that the helicopter was an AW119 Koala manufactured by defence group Leonardo.

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The ANSA news agency reported it was owned by transport and aeronautic maintenance company Avio Helicopters, based in Thiene, in northern Italy.

Avio Helicopters was not immediately available for comment.

Source: swissinfo

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