Forestry helicopter crashes, killing three

YEONGAM, South Korea, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean forestry helicopter
crashed into a reservoir Monday, killing the pilot and two crewmembers,
authorities said.
The Korea Forest Service (KFS) chopper was found nearly four hours after takeoff
at a reservoir in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, about 380 kilometers south of
Seoul, they said.
The three were found dead at the wreckage.
The chopper took off at 10:30 a.m. for a two-hour training session and is
believed to have crashed around 1 p.m. shortly after it lost contact with the KFS
office. The exact cause of the accident was not known, they said.
The aircraft, KA-32T, was manufactured in Russia and imported to South Korea in
1994. It was used mainly to fight wildfires.
brk@yna.co.kr
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