Commander dies, two injured as Bulgarian Navy helicopter crashes during Black Sea exercise
A crew commander died and two crew were injured when a Bulgarian Navy helicopter crashed into the Black Sea during an exercise on June 9, the Defence Ministry in Sofia said.
The commander of the helicopter, Captain Georgi Atanassov, died after the crash, which had left him in critical condition.
The two other crew, captains Pavel Simeonov and Anatoli Apostolov, both were in Varna military hospital in stable condition.
The incident took place soon after noon on Friday, while the Panther helicopter was involved in tasks during the Black Sea 2017 tactical exercise, the ministry said.
Crew from the Bulgarian Navy’s Druzki frigate and a diving team responded immediately to ensure that the injured were given first aid, the statement said.
The Defence Ministry said that it would provide further details later.
(Archive photo of a Panther helicopter: US Navy)
/Panorama