UN Puma crash - Sudan
UN helicopter crashes in Darfur, one reportedly dead
Jan 25, 2006, 17:17 GMT
Khartoum - A United Nations Puma helicopter carrying 16 people crashed in the Jebel Marra area in central Darfur in Sudan after experiencing a technical failure upon landing, a UN spokeswoman said from Khartoum Wednesday.
'The eight passengers were NGO (non-governmental organization) workers who were being evacuated out of the region when the accident occurred,' the spokeswoman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
A source working for the Irish humanitarian aid organization GOAL said that the helicopter crash killed one passenger and left 10 others in a critical condition.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the helicopter was carrying as many as 35 passengers.
Recent fighting by the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) rebel movement had prompted the evacuation of all humanitarian workers, reports indicated.
Another UN helicopter was reportedly on its way to the small hamlet of Dyalla, where the accident took place, to assist in the rescue effort.
No official statement has yet been released to confirm the nature and number of possible casualties.
Unconfirmed reports said those on board were mostly the Sudanese staff of unnamed NGOs and that the helicopter made a forced landing after experiencing problems with its rotor.