Relief chopper crashes in Nias

Relief chopper crashes in Nias

Associated Press, Canberra

An Australian navy helicopter carrying up to 11 people crashed on Saturday on the earthquake-devastated island of Nias, the defense ministry said, and media reported that nine people were killed.

The navy Sea King helicopter crashed in the afternoon near the town of Gunung Sitoli, off the west coast of Sumatra, a defense statement said.

The helicopter was from an Australian navy transport ship that arrived on Saturday from Singapore after three months of providing tsunami relief at in Aceh.

Up to 11 people, including the helicopter's crew of three, were on board, the statement said, without giving further details.

Head of the North Sumatra information office R.E. Nainggolan said the chopper crashed in Teluk Dalam, adding that the fate of its 11 passengers was not clear.

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) -- which had a journalist on the transport ship, the HMAS Kanimbla -- quoted the captain as saying nine people were killed in the crash.

Commander George McGuire was quoted as saying two survivors were airlifted to the Kanimbla for emergency surgery.

"They are in a serious condition with leg fractures and other injuries," McGuire said. "We believe the rest of the personnel died."

Defense officials in Australia were not immediately available for comment.

McGuire told the AAP that the helicopter was ferrying an emergency medical team to a remote village as part of relief efforts when it crashed.

Five naval personnel as well as three from the Air Force and one member of the Army were on board the helicopter. Seven of the dead were male and two were female, McGuire was quoted as saying.

McGuire said the transport ship was headed toward the crash site on the southern tip of Nias.

The crew on the Kanimbla cried and bowed their heads in shock in the ship's mess room when McGuire broke the news that their colleagues had been killed, AAP reported.