After a Bundeswehr helicopter crashed near Grimma in Saxony, the third crew member has also been recovered. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announced this in Berlin on Thursday evening. "A female and two male soldiers lost their lives serving our country," he stated. "The death of the third crew member fills the entire Bundeswehr and me with deep sadness."
Pistorius expressed his condolences to "the families and friends" of the dead soldiers. The minister also thanked the search and rescue teams on site and announced that recovery operations at the accident site are not yet complete. "We continue to ask for discretion and restraint at the crash site."
The EC-135 helicopter, rented for training purposes, crashed into the Mulde River during a training flight on Tuesday. Paddlers had secured a helicopter part in the river and alerted the police. Two crew members were subsequently recovered dead. Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.
After the crash, the German Armed Forces established a restricted military area, and the Federal Aviation Office issued a no-fly zone. An oil boom was set up in the depression due to leaking kerosene.
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