Croatian military helicopter crashes into Adriatic Sea

The Croatian Defence Ministry confirmed on Monday that a Kiowa military helicopter with two crew members on board had crashed into the Adriatic Sea between Zablace and Zlarin in the Sibenik archipelago, killing one pilot, reported Xinhua news agency.

Two helicopters were on a training flight that began at 10.30am local time, and one of them hit the water from a very low altitude about one hour later, the Defence Ministry said, adding that two naval coast guard vessels were dispatched to the scene immediately after the incident, and were joined by a helicopter and local rescue ships.

Croatian Air Force Commander Michael Krizanec said at a press conference in the afternoon that the helicopter with two pilots hit the water for unknown reasons. Fishermen pulled one of them to shore and tried to resuscitate him unsuccessfully. The other pilot is still missing, according to local news portal N1.

The helicopter wreck was found 30 metres deep in the water.

Pending the completion of investigation, the Defence Ministry has ordered a suspension of all helicopters of this model