Seven dead after helicopter crashes in Italy

Helicopter

A helicopter crashed in southern Italy on Saturday, killing all seven people on board, including a family of Slovenian tourists.

The helicopter disappeared from radar in Castelpagano di Apricena, a rural area of ​​the Puglia region, prompting search efforts by the air force and fire brigade.

The vice president of the Puglia region, Raffaele Piemontese, later confirmed that the helicopter had been found and all seven people on board had been killed.

Among the dead was a family of four from Slovenia, including a 13-year-old girl.

The other victims were a local doctor and the two helicopter pilots.

The helicopter was flying as part of a daily service between Foggia in Puglia and the Tremiti Islands off the Italian coast when it crashed due to bad weather.

The president of the islands, Peppino Calabrese, told the media that the doctor decided at the last minute to take the helicopter and not the ferry “because of the bad conditions at sea”.

“Our community is in shock. “Nothing like this has happened in 30 years of service,” he said.