Air Force says French-supplied Super Puma helicopter crashed in Brovary with leaders of Interior Ministry
Super Puma helicopter of DSNS crashed in Brovary (Photo:REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
The helicopter that crashed onto a kindergarten in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary was provided to Ukraine by France, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian national television on Jan. 18.
This information was confirmed by the State Emergency Service (DSNS).
This helicopter was most often used to transport personnel to emergency situations, as it could simultaneously transport a sufficient number of people, the DSNS added.
The crew of the aircraft was prepared to carry out tasks under difficult conditions, and had the necessary experience specifically on EC-225 helicopters, the DSNS emphasized.
According to Ihnat, these helicopters were intended specifically for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Emergency Service.
“They were engaged in various special tasks, not only within the country, but also those closer to hostilities,” said the spokesman.
It is still too early to talk about the causes of the disaster, he added.
“Unfortunately, the sky does not forgive mistakes, as the pilots say, but it is really early to talk about the reasons... I think that a state commission will be formed, which will include various experts to establish the causes of the crash,” Ihnat said.
A helicopter carrying the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on board of which were, in particular, the head of the department Denys Monastyrskyi and his deputy Yevhen Yenin, crashed near a kindergarten in the town of Brovary in Kyiv Oblast on the morning of Jan. 18.
As a result of the accident, all nine people on board died.
As of 11:00 a.m., 18 people were confirmed dead due to the helicopter crash, including three children.
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