No less than 16 folks, together with Ukraine’s inside minister, have been killed after a helicopter crashed in a suburb of the capital, Kyiv, in accordance with Ukrainian emergency companies.
Three kids have been among the many lifeless and about 25 others wounded in Wednesday’s incident. They have been being handled in hospital, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) mentioned. An area official had earlier put the dying toll at 18.
There was no instant official assertion on the reason for the crash. Russia, which invaded Ukraine practically 11 months in the past, has but to remark.
Here’s what we all know thus far:
The place did the helicopter crash?
The helicopter got here down at about 8:20am native time (06:20 GMT) close to a nursery and residential constructing within the city of Brovary, on the Ukrainian capital’s northeastern outskirts.
Movies shared on social media confirmed a burning constructing on the purported location the place the helicopter got here down. Individuals may very well be heard screaming within the footage.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential workplace, mentioned the helicopter – which belonged to SESU – was flying in the direction of front-line positions within the nation’s east when it crashed.
How many individuals have been killed?
SESU mentioned in a Fb put up that 9 folks have been on board the helicopter in complete. It was not instantly clear if any of the passengers had survived.
Fifteen folks, together with three kids, have been confirmed lifeless as of 11am native time (09:00 GMT), SESU mentioned.
An extra 25 folks, together with 15 adults and 10 kids, have been hospitalised with wounds sustained within the incident, SESU mentioned.
Earlier, Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of Kyiv area, had mentioned 18 folks have been killed within the crash.
Who have been on board?
Ukrainian Inside Minister Denys Monastyrskyy, his deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Ministry of Inner Affairs Yurii Lubkovych have been amongst these travelling on the helicopter.
All three have been killed within the crash, in accordance with Ukraine’s Nationwide Police chief Ihor Klymenko.
Monastyrskyy was accountable for the Ukrainian police and different emergency companies.
What brought about the crash?
It was not instantly clear what had brought about the helicopter to return down.
Ukrainian officers didn’t present a direct rationalization and made no reference to any Russian assault within the space on the time.
Ukraine’s prosecutor common, Andriy Kostin, mentioned authorities had launched an investigation into the incident.
“For now, we’re contemplating all potential variations of the helicopter crash accident,” Kostin mentioned in a put up on the Telegram messaging app.
There was no instant remark from Russia.
What have been the reactions thus far?
Ukrainian officers lamented the dying toll from Wednesday’s incident, which got here simply 4 days after a Russian missile assault on an condominium constructing within the central metropolis of Dnipro killed 45 civilians, together with six kids.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned the helicopter crash was a “horrible tragedy” that had brought about “unspeakable” ache.
“I’ve instructed the Safety Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Nationwide Police of Ukraine and different authorised our bodies, to search out out all of the circumstances of what occurred,” Zelenskyy mentioned in a put up on Telegram, hailing the inside ministry management workforce who misplaced their lives as “true patriots” of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal echoed Zelenskyy’s message and described the dying of Monastyrskyy as a “nice loss” for Ukraine’s authorities.
“My honest condolences to the households of all of the victims,” Shmygal mentioned in a Telegram put up.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Finland’s International Minister Pekka Haavisto additionally known as the crash “a really tragic occasion”.
“It’s a really unhappy day,” he mentioned on the sidelines of the World Financial Discussion board. “Kids are [also] concerned on this accident and are in intensive care, so this can be a very dramatic occasion.”
