1
0
Horrifying video footage reveals the moment four rescuers were killed in a helicopter crash while trying to retrieve the body of a mountain climber.
The aircraft got tangled in high tension power lines, hurtling to the ground and exploding in a tragedy which claimed the lives of all those on board.
The crash happened on a hill in El Centinela, in the municipality of Mexicali in the north-western Mexican state of Baja California.
Four rescue workers took to the air in the black helicopter as they set out to retrieve the body of a mountain climber who had died after falling 300 metres from a cliff edge.
The climber has been named as Violeta Ruiz Sanchez.
The machine was seen taking off into the air and circling the area when it hit an electrical wire which causes a part of the helicopter to come off.
It then hurtled towards the ground at a high speed, and seconds later a fireball is seen as the helicopter goes up in flames, with the incident claiming the lives of all of those onboard.
It is believed that the helicopter pilot and co-pilot had found the location of the body and then come back to base to pick up two other rescue officers to accompany them.
But the helicopter got tangled in the wires of the high tension electrical tower nearby, which caused them to crash.
The names of those onboard have not yet been released and investigations are ongoing.
The Governor of the state, Francisco Vega de Lamadrid, extended his sympathies to all those affected.