Rescue Efforts Continue for Crashed Ugandan Helicopters

Posted August 14th, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
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A Kenyan official says two Ugandan soldiers are confirmed dead from the crash of a Ugandan military helicopter on Mount Kenya late Sunday.

Simon Gitau, deputy warden of Mount Kenya National Park, says searchers found the two bodies outside the wreckage of the aircraft, which he said was still burning Tuesday and might contain other bodies.

He said several soldiers from another Ugandan army helicopter that crashed on the mountain were rescued Tuesday after walking away from their crash site.

On Monday, search teams rescued seven people from a third Ugandan helicopter that made an emergency landing on Mount Kenya.

The 5,200-meter mountain is the second highest in Africa. Ugandan officials say they suspect bad weather caused the helicopters to go down.

The Russian-made Mi-24 helicopters were on their way to Somalia to join African Union forces fighting the militant group al-Shabab.

A fourth helicopter traveling with the group landed safely in northeastern Kenya.

Uganda provides the bulk of the personnel for the AU force in Somalia.