Spain finds crashed helicopter cabin, 3 crew still missing

Author: The Associated Press
Published:
U.S. Navy/ MGN

MADRID (AP) – Spain’s defense ministry says the sunken cabin of a military helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean has been found but it has no news on the fate of the three missing crew members.

Work on hoisting the cabin to the surface was expected to begin Thursday, depending on weather conditions.

A ministry statement Wednesday said an investigative judge monitoring the search operations reported that it was not yet known if the crew members were inside the cabin.

The helicopter ditched last Thursday about 280 nautical miles (320 miles, 520 kilometers) from its destination on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, having set off from Mauritania.

Earlier, the ministry wrongly reported that the crew had been rescued by a Moroccan vessel.

The helicopter was initially found by a Dutch boat and was tethered to its side to try to keep it afloat but it later sank in water about 30-40 meters (100-130 feet) deep.

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