Nine soldiers were killed aft their service chopper crashed successful a agrarian municipality successful bluish Colombian state of Bolívar connected Monday.
A congressman is present raising doubts whether the Russian institution that was awarded a $32.2 cardinal declaration to work subject aircrafts is being honored.
The Colombia subject said successful a connection the chopper was transporting supplies to troops successful the municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur.
The country has been precocious engulfed by an ongoing warfare betwixt the National Liberation Army guerrilla radical and Gulf Clan cause cartel.
Video footage connected societal media showed archetypal responders astatine the clang tract astatine a wood successful the colony of Guaraperia.
Colombia equipped forces wide Helder Giraldo said Tuesday that atrocious clime conditions whitethorn person caused the crash.
"What happened yesterday is the taxable of probe by a peculiar assemblage successful the lawsuit of this benignant of accident," Giraldo told reporters. "We bash not cognize what the failures could person been. What we bash cognize is that the atrocious upwind conditions yesterday could person been 1 of the causes."
He added the helicopter, according to records, "was successful optimal condition"
First responders hunt the tract of the Colombian service chopper clang that near each 9 soldiers connected committee successful the bluish municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur connected Monday. The craft was transporting supplies to troops successful the metropolis erstwhile successful crashed successful the colony of Guaraperia
At slightest 21 subordinate of the subject person been killed successful 5 chopper accidents since February 2023 successful Colombia
'I regret the decease of the 9 members of the service chopper formation that crashed to the crushed and that was supplying troops to the southbound of Bolívar successful operations against the Gulf clan,' President Gustavo Petro said connected X, the level antecedently known arsenic Twitter.
According to the military, the MI-17 Russian-built chopper, that is often utilized to transportation troops and supplies, crashed astir 1:50pm section time.
The victims were identified arsenic mayor Edward Espinosa; lieutenant colonel Jesús Carvajal; skipper Cristián Ordoñez; and archetypal vice sergeant Diego Ramírez.
The different unit members identified were non-commissioner serviceman Michael Villanueva; archetypal corporal Cristian Ordoñez; 3rd corporal Jhon Olea; and privates Sman Guerrero, Jesús Montalvo and Yeisson Mendoza.
The clang is the 5th mishap involving the subject since February 2023 successful which 21 soldiers were killed.
The victims were identified arsenic politician Edward Espinosa (left apical row); lieutenant colonel Jesús Carvajal (right apical row); skipper Cristián Ordoñez; archetypal vice sergeant Diego Ramírez (left 2nd row), non-commissioner serviceman Michael Villanueva (second from near 2nd row); archetypal corporal Cristian Ordoñez (second from the close 2nd row); 3rd corporal Jhon Olea (right 2nd row); and privates Sman Guerrero (left 3rd row), Jesús Montalvo (middle 3rd row) and Yeisson Mendoza (right 3rd row)
A hunt and rescue squad canvasses the country wherever an service chopper crashed, sidesplitting each 9 soldiers connected committee in Santa Rosa del Sur, Colombia connected Monday
All 4 soldiers connected committee a chopper died successful a clang connected February 22 in Caramanta, a municipality successful the section of Antioquia.
Another 4 soldiers were killed February 5 erstwhile their chopper crashed successful the Antioquia municipality of Carepa that borders with Panamá.
Congressman Julio Triana raised interest implicit the rash of crashes and questioned the Ministry of Defense implicit the $30.2 cardinal declaration that was awarded to NASC, a Russian firm, for the attraction of subject aircraft.
'It is the lives of our members of the nationalist unit that are astatine stake,' Triana said connected X.
'We request the National Government to instrumentality enactment connected the attraction of helicopters and the full aerial fleet that is presently utilized by the military.'
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