A Mexican military helicopter engaged in firefighting operations crashed in central Mexico on Friday, killing five Navy members and an inspector with the National Forestry Commission ( Conafor ), the Navy revealed on Saturday.
The MI-17 helicopter crashed about 89 km north of the town of Jalpan de Serra , in the state of Querétaro , where it had been working to extinguish a forest fire , the Navy said.
The Navy and the Conafor ministry informed about the helicopter crashed through their Twitter accounts :
Reasons for the crash were not immediately clear.
A reconnaissance team found debris from the helicopter early in the morning, after operations had to be suspended during the night due to adverse weather conditions , a Navy statement said.
Officials, including President López Obrador , held a minute’s silence for the crew on Friday after news of the crash began to circulate.
On Sunday morning, the Semar announced it had found the remains of the helicopters , as well as the bodies of the five Marines who died during the crash .
During a public event in Guanajuato, President López Obrador said the victim's families are not alone and that they will receive aid from the federal government .
Earlier today, officials offered a press conference to inform about the crash and the cabin crew who died in the accident .
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