A Canadian soldier has been killed and five others are missing after a helicopter engaged in a NATO mission crashed at sea on the evening of Wednesday April 29 between Greece and Italy.

"Yesterday, a Royal Navy helicopter engaged in a NATO mission and carrying six members of the Canadian Armed Forces crashed in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Greece," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference. "One victim has been found and five members have gone missing. They are all heroes," he added.

In addition to the soldier killed in the accident and previously identified, the Department of Defense and the Canadian Armed Forces identified the five missing. They are Captains Brenden Ian MacDonald and Kevin Hagen, both pilots, Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, Air Combat Systems Officer, Ensign Matthew Pyke, Naval War Officer, and Master Corporal Matthew Cousins, operator of airborne electronic detectors.

Black boxes found

The search for the five missing soldiers was to continue overnight and as long as there was hope of finding survivors, Rear Admiral Craig Baines said at a press conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia ( east), where the missing were based.

Research carried out in partnership with Italy, Greece, the United States and Turkey is proceeding under "good" conditions, added the rear admiral, commander of the maritime component of Canada within the mission of the 'NATO.

The aircraft, a Cyclone Sikorsky CH-148 recently acquired by the Canadian army, was returning to the frigate Fredericton after a training mission when contact was lost, shortly before 7 p.m. local time, said the Canadian Chief of Staff, General Jonathan Vance.

The cause of the accident is "unknown" and the black boxes have been found, said Harjit Sajjan, Canada's Minister of Defense. The recorders will be brought back to Canada for analysis.

Open investigation

General Vance clarified that at the time of the accident, the helicopter and support boats "were not carrying out any targeted or surveillance operations" targeting enemy targets. He excluded a priori that the helicopter had collided with another aircraft or that it had been shot down.

The Canadian chief of staff had confirmed the identity of the first victim found at sea, revealed by the latter's father on Facebook in the morning. Abbigail Cowbrough, 23, according to the media, was a second lieutenant in the Navy and a fan of the bagpipes, according to a video published on social networks where she plays "Amazing Grace".

An investigation has been launched into "the circumstances surrounding this terrible accident," said General Vance, adding that "all CH-148 helicopters will be put on operational break" during the investigation.

The frigate and the helicopter had been deployed since January 20 as part of Operation Reassurance, which aims to dissuade Russia from any intervention in the countries of central and eastern Europe. More than 900 Canadian soldiers are participating in this mission, the largest Canadian military deployment abroad today.

With AFP

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