5 dead in Ivory Coast military chopper crash

The Defense Ministry of Ivory Coast said that all five persons aboard a military copter on a reconnaissance journey went missing on its northern boundary perished in a crash.

In a news briefing, the defence ministry said, the MI 24 raid helicopter was found 2 kilometres from northern Togolokaye.

‘The 5 people on board died in the accident, and an inquiry is already ongoing to determine the conditions which lead to the tragic incident.’

While speaking with newsmen, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and guaranteed them the ministry’s assistance.

The chopper lost total communication with the control tower at about 2 am in the territory of Ferkessedougou, the ministry said in an earlier briefing.

Like some other African countries faced with insecurity, the Ivory Coast army has been fighting armed militants in the north.