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An Australian army Black Hawk helicopter flying off a warship stationed near Fiji crashed late yesterday afternoon and been lost at sea, Australian defence officials (ADF) said. At least one crew member has died and another is described as missing.
"There has been an incident involving an army Black Hawk helicopter on HMAS Kanimbla this afternoon," an Australian Defence Force spokeswoman said last night. An ADF statement said the helicopter had been lost.
The Kanimbla was one of three Australian navy ships sent towards Fiji earlier this month in case thousands of Australian nationals holidaying there needed to be evacuated as fears grew of an imminent coup in the South Pacific island nation.
A Network Seven television report said the helicopter, with about 10 people on board, had crashed as it attempted to land on the Kanimbla, a navy amphibious transport ship.
It said most on board had been rescued but one person had died and another was missing. Australian army Black Hawks carry a crew of four and can transport up to 10 troops.
ADF head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston confirmed the loss of life in a hastily-convened media conference last last night (NZT).
Australian ABC television said the helicopter's crew was from the elite Special Air Service unit but there was no official confirmation.
Television reports said the ship was about 100 km off the Fiji capital, Suva. No casualties had been taken to Suva hospital, reports said, but the Kanimbla has a surgery on board.
The Fijian military said earlier on Wednesday it would secure strategic parts of the capital Suva from midnight in exercises to be conducted because of the fear of foreign intervention.
Australia's defence force has had an unhappy recent history with its ageing helicopter fleet.
Eighteen Australian soldiers were killed in 1996 when two Black Hawks, manufactured by the US planemaker Sikorsky, collided during a special operations night-training exercise in northern Australia.
Another nine military personnel died in April 2005 when a Sea King helicopter based on the Kanimbla crashed on the Indonesian island of Nias.
Its crew had been delivering relief aid to villagers after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake.
Australia has 12 Westland Aircraft Ltd-made Sea King helicopters but has announced a plan to replace its army Black Hawks and navy Sea Kings as part of a A$50 billion ($58.15 billion) defence upgrade.
- REUTERS
