Posted by Xinhua on
Four people were killed on Friday night as a helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Navy crashed in southern Imo State, sources reaching here said.
LAGOS, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed on Friday night as a helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Navy crashed in southern Imo State, sources reaching here said.
A highly placed security source said the helicopter came down around 9:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) as it approached the airport the Owerri Airport.
It was escorting another helicopter carrying materials for Saturday's presidential and National Assembly elections in the state from Abuja, the source added.
The Nigerian Navy has confirmed the crash, saying they "had onboard the pilot, the copilot and two technicians. It appears they all lost their lives.
"This is coming less than six months after a Nigerian Air Force plane crashed in southern Benue State, killing some top Army Generals.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, started to conduct polls on Saturday morning to elect from 25 presidential candidates the successor to President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has ruled the country for two consecutive terms of eight years.