Nicaraguan military chopper crashes with 6 on board

MANAGUA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A Nicaraguan Air Force helicopter with six people aboard crashed to the ground Thursday over the community of El Papalonal, near the Momotombo Volcano, with no news so far as to the whereabouts of the craft, crew and passengers.

The spokesman for the Nicaraguan Army, Col. Orlando Palacios, said civilian and military rescue teams were headed to the accident site.

According to a preliminary army report published by local media, an emergency call was received from the helicopter, as it was flying over El Papalonal airspace, adjacent to the volcano, in the municipality of La Paz Centro, 56 kilometers west of the capital Managua.

Palacios said that during the emergency call, the helicopter crew reported on the presumably precarious flight situation and indicated they would try to find a way to land.

He added the army also sent naval units to Xolotlan Lake, north of Managua, in an attempt to track the helicopter.

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