A US military helicopter crashed into Mount Hood in Oregon yesterday as crews tried to rescue six injured climbers from an icy crevasse that claimed three lives.
One of the five crew members aboard the Black Hawk helicopter was critically hurt and the other four suffered less serious injuries as the aircraft's rotors shattered before it tumbled down a glacier.
|
|
TV image of the helicopter crashing during the rescue mission in Oregon
|
The dramatic helicopter crash 800 feet from the summit of Mount Hood was captured live on television and narrated by a stunned announcer.
"Oh, my God," the announcer said. "Oh, that's horrible. You're watching this live, folks. Oh, if only this were a movie. You saw the tail go into the mountain and it just blew apart, rolling down the hillside, oh, good Lord."
The helicopter had been hovering over a crevasse where nine climbers fell yesterday morning while trying to scale the 11,237-foot peak, the highest point in Oregon, when they lost control and crashed into the mountain.
The helicopter was seen briefly flying backward before its front end smashed into the side of the mountain and then began tumbling until it was out of the picture.
Three of the climbers who fell into the crevasse died and the other six were injured, four critically and two seriously.
After the helicopter crash, other rescue personnel began airlifting the climbers off the mountain.