The eight people who were traveling in the military helicopter that crashed this Friday in the Amazon of Ecuador were found lifeless, as announced in a statement by the Ecuadorian Army. Among the fatalities are five soldiers and three civilians, officials of the Risk Management Secretariat (SGR) of the Ecuadorian Government who They carried humanitarian aid to sectors of the Amazonian province of Pastaza, affected by flooding due to rising rivers.
The victims were identified as Major Andrés Sierra, who piloted the aircraft; Lieutenant Jaime Cordones, who served as co-pilot; Sergeant Leonardo Gutiérrez, who had the role of flight engineer, and corporals Cristian Morales and Édgar Montesdeoca, who were mechanics. In addition to the crew, Katya Aragón, Diego Ima and Erik Reyes were also traveling on the helicopter to carry out SGR activities.
In its statement, the Ecuadorian Army specified that The rescue of the bodies will take place this Saturday due to weather conditions that were presented this Friday.
The helicopter, a Mi-171E with registration AAE-485, was accidented at 9:36 local time (14:36 GMT) in the Tiwino sector, in the province of Pastaza, and His remains could not be located until almost five hours later.. The helicopter was following the Shell-Tiwino-Tababoro route and a search operation was implemented for its location in which two light helicopters participated.
The Ecuadorian Army has ordered the immediate formation of the accident investigation board to determine the causes of this accident. “We soldiers stand in solidarity with the families of our five brave soldiers who served their country with total dedication and professionalism, despite the risk involved in the military profession, and with three exemplary Ecuadorian citizens,” stated the military institution, which was committed to provide the necessary assistance.