Bad weather is to blame for the helicopter crash in north-east Ivory Coast which killed three foreign instructors and two Ivorian operators almost two weeks ago, according to government spokesman, Amadou Coulibaly.
“The first conclusions of the investigation conducted in the aftermath of the crash of a helicopter of the Ivorian army, suggested that the crash occurred as a result of “unfavourable weather conditions”, said Coulibaly while emerging from a cabinet meeting.
He added that “the first findings suggest that the aircraft may have been struck by lightning, but from the moment one of the black boxes was found, and the second is still being sought, their clues will say precisely what were the weather conditions that caused the crash…”
“Search operations allowed to find the remains of the crew members, consisting of three foreign instructors and two Ivorian operators,” he said.
The crash took place on the night of Thursday 9 to Friday 10 September.
A military tribute will be paid to the Ivorian victims on Friday at the Armed Forces General Staff Plaza, he said.
He indicated that the foreign instructors will be paid their last respects at the Abidjan air base before their bodies are repatriated.
AP/ls/lb/as/APA