Seven people die in a helicopter crash in western Argentina

Seven people died this Wednesday when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the Argentine province of San Juan, in the west of the country, including the director of Civil Protection and police authorities of this province, according to official sources.

The Bell 412 helicopter contracted by the Federal Emergency Agency (AFE) of Argentina suffered an accident this Wednesday morning in the area of the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, in the province of San Juan, for reasons that are under investigation.

“It is with deep sorrow that we received the news of the helicopter accident that occurred in our province, in which seven people sadly lost their lives,” said the governor of San Juan, Marcelo Orrego, in a message on social media.

Among the deceased are Carlos Heredia, director of Civil Protection of San Juan; Germán Videla, deputy chief of the provincial Police; and Rubén Castro and Jorge Carbajal, police chiefs of the Fire Department division.

Matías Valenzuela, the aircraft’s pilot, and AFE brigade members Andrés Bosch and Rodrigo Aimetta also died in the accident.

“I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of all the victims in this moment of immense pain. We stand with each of their loved ones,” the governor expressed.

The airline was going to support the control of a fire

As reported by the AFE in a statement, the aircraft, which was being used to provide training in San Juan, had as its final destination the neighboring province of La Rioja (northwest), where it was to assist in forest fire control efforts.

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According to the statement, the last contact with the helicopter was recorded at 10:26 local time (13:26 GMT).

Subsequently, another aircraft that was in the area located the crash site and notified the authorities.