Politics
18:47, 21-Jun-2017
Four killed in Sudanese military helicopter crash
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A Sudanese military helicopter has crashed in northern Sudan, killing all four crew members, the Sudanese army announced Wednesday.
The Mi-17 helicopter crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Dongola town on an official mission to Al-Daba town in northern Sudan, Sudanese army spokesman Ahmed Khalifa Al-Shami said in a statement.
Sudan's fleet of Russian-manufactured aircraft has suffered several crashes in recent years, with the military frequently blaming technical problems and bad weather.
In April 2016, a Soviet-era Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed while landing in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state.
All five crew members on board were killed. In June 2013, two air force crew died when their helicopter crashed in war-torn Blue Nile state, just a week after one went down in South Kordofan state, another war zone.
The military has relied heavily on air power in its campaign against rebel groups in Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Darfur. Rebels often claim to have shot down military aircraft in Sudan's conflict zones.
(Source: Xinhua, AFP)
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