Rescue helicopter crash kills six in Abruzzo, Italy

January 26, 2017

A rescue helicopter crashed in, Italy on Tuesday. All six on board died. The flight was taking a wounded skier from the ski resort in  to the regional capital,. It crashed near the resort. The mountainous site is around 100 (60 ) from the scene of an avalanche last week at the Rigopiano hotel, where at least fifteen died and several remain missing.

Rescue operations at the hotel, which is on the other side of mountain, are ongoing. Rescuers diverted away from the scene to assist with the helicopter accident. mayor Gianluca Marrocchi said the helicopter was flying low. "After that it disappeared in the fog," he said to.

Some witnesses said there was an explosion before the crash, and the local police said a crash signal was activated. A police spokesperson commented to AFP, "The area where it came down is hard to access at the best of times, and thick fog is making it even more difficult[.]"

The region has seen heavy snowfall and several recently. Thousands of residents have spent a week without electricity. Campo Felice is around 120km from Rome, and popular with skiers from the capital.