Military helicopter crash in Germany leaves several dead, one missing
Illustrative photo: Airbus Helicopters H135 (wikipedia.org)
Two Bundeswehr soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in Germany, with one still missing, according to Der Spiegel.
The bodies of the two victims were recovered from the Mulde River near the town of Grimma in the federal state of Saxony.
Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited the crash site to assess the situation. He confirmed that two bodies had been found and that one person remained missing.
According to Pistorius, the German Air Force, which had rented the helicopter for Bundeswehr pilot training, is continuing the search operation. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and stated that all circumstances surrounding the tragedy will be thoroughly investigated.
According to official reports, the aircraft involved was an EC135 model helicopter. The Bundeswehr uses such civilian helicopters for training purposes.
The German Ministry of Defense confirmed that the helicopter was conducting a training flight. Military sources reported that the aircraft was performing a low-altitude maneuver at the time of the incident.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The helicopter disappeared from radar on July 29 between 10:00 and 10:30 AM local time. Around noon, rowers discovered wreckage in the Mulde River.
The crash released a large amount of aviation fuel into the water. Around 50 emergency responders initially focused on collecting the spilled kerosene, then began retrieving debris from the river.
Just last week, the German interior minister’s aircraft made an emergency landing at Leipzig Airport.
