By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUG. 4, 2015, 3:11 P.M. E.D.T.
BOGOTA, Colombia —
Fifteen police
officers died Tuesday when the Black Hawk helicopter they were traveling in
crashed in the volatile northwestern region, the country's police agency said.
The police said in a statement that
two other uniformed personnel were in critical condition and being treated for
injuries.
Investigators were rushing to the
scene to investigate what led to the crash in a densely jungled area near the
Gulf of Uraba region.
The police said the aircraft was
part of a mission hunting Dairo Otoniel Usaga, leader of the country's most
violent drug-smuggling gang. Since February, authorities with the support of
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have intensified the manhunt for
Otoniel, for whose capture the United States has offered a $5 million reward.
The helicopter crashed in an area
that is a major haven for the Usaga clan as well as leftist rebels, but police
said preliminary data suggested a mechanical failure was to blame.
The incident follows the death of 11
air force personnel whose airplane crashed last week near the Caribbean coast.
//---------------------///
16 policemen they
died and two more were seriously injured when a helicopter of the national
police rushed to land at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow on Tuesday when it flew over the
village of Piedras Blancas, countryside of Carepa, in the Urabá Antioquia,
confirmed the Minister of Defense, Luis Carlos Villegas.
As the Colombian
established him initially, the national police confirmed it on the afternoon of
Tuesday through a press release: "the institution regretted to report that
you as a result of this incident, killed 16 policemen and two more injured, who
are cared for at this hour in the Hospital's section were.
The portfolio of
Defense Chief said operation of assault against "the Urabeños",
composed by three helicopters and a group of 18 soldiers, including 14 men
jungle and four crew members, began at 5:30 in the morning but due to
inclement weather had to postpone it until minutes before the accident.
"The most
likely hypothesis is a shock to 120 knots of helicopter against the hillside
for low visibility. " The helicopter was absolutely crushed. The
largest part is a Metro, "said Villegas.
The Minister said
that they could see that there was bad weather climate with widespread and
low clouds, which hampered visibility for pilots. It also ruled out that
armed groups could carry out an attack with such conditions.
According to
Villegas, helicopters heard shots from the aircraft at the time of fire.
"The other two heard the explosion of ammunition and armament carrying
helicopter to fire against the hillside," said the official.
The wounded and
with prognosis reserved are Sergeant Édgar Andrés Báez and the patrolman Juan
Carlos Mesa, which have second and third degree burns to limbs which will be
stabilized to be transferred to Bogota.
The Minister
Villegas referred directly to the claims of the former President and now
Senator Alvaro Uribe and Senator Alfredo Rangel, on the hypothesis that
the helicopter had been hit. "Not gonna be me which lie." "Is
an abuse to the nation the speculation, when believes that there is
certainty I same is them will refer", said.
Finally, the
official said that they will continue operations in the Urabá against the
criminal gang of "Urabeños" in the known "agamenon".
"That don't hesitate to get the members of the Clan Usuga that the best
tribute will chase them and neutralize them, keep the Agamemnon operation until
it is a success", concluded.
The Mission of
the uniformed personnel there was to make several raids on farms in the
border between Carepa and Chigorodó so it had come out at 6:00 a.m. Necocli
anti-narcotics base to give the whereabouts of Luis Orlando Padierna Peña,
ringleader of the Urabeños and known with the alias of "England".
The air force
ordered two helicopters and the Group of search and rescue, composed of
doctors, paramedics and pararrescatistas which departed from the air command
combat No. 5, which are located at the airport of the Cedars in Carepa, to
support the work of search and rescue of the crew of this aircraft.
Deceased list
Superintendent
Diego Gualdrón Rodriguez.
Patrol agent
Jesus Antonio Polo.
Patrolman Henry
Escobar.
Patrolman Wilson
Reyes Martinez.
Patrol agent
Norberto Cáceres Baptist.
Patrolman Eider
belt.
Patrolman Ivan
Diaz Santiago.
Captain John
Palacios.
Captain Hernando
Guzman.
Patrolman
Gongora.
Superintendent
Cruz.
Patrolman Deiner
mountain.
Wounded:
Sergeant Edgar
Andres Baez.
Patrolman Juan
Carlos Mesa Patiño.
What
Agamemnon?
This is the operation against
organized crime in the last three decades in Colombia and its objective is to
finish with the band "the Urabeños". It is headed by the Prosecutor
and four directions of police (anti-narcotics, Criminal investigation,
intelligence and police), with the support of the DEA and Europol.
It began in
February of this year and to date has achieved about 350 arrests and the
seizure of more than 14 tons of narcotics, although still unable to capture any
of the members of the dome of the band: "Othniel", "Marcos
Gavilán", "Nicolás", "Indian" and "Guagua".
Another fact
that mourned the public force
Friday 31 July a
Casa 235 of the Colombian air force aircraft was precipitated in rural area of
Codazzi, Cesar and eleven members perished. On that occasion, Legal Medicine
confirmed that the said event was an accident and not an attack.
About this fact
also referred the Minister of Defense, Luis Carlos Villegas, ensuring that the
incident arose because of an icing (freezing) of the plane the plane right,
resulting in crew light frost protection system and the left engine is free.
"Crew turn
on the anti-ice, immediately the housing of the left engine overheats, and
disconnecting mechanism the plane descend to 15,000 feet, raises one of its
planes and falls," said Villegas.
The head of the
Defense portfolio said that it was found that there was adverse weather
conditions that made the uncontrollable flight at that point and confirmed that
"it is not associated with an external action".
| Date: | 04-AUG-2015 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | Policía Nacional Colombia |
| Registration: | |
| C/n / msn: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 15 / Occupants: 15 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Carepa, Urabá -
 Colombia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
The helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances.
Fifteen police officers died in the crash.
Sources:
Associated Press
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=178295
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/04/world/americas/ap-lt-colombia-helicopter-crash.html
http://www.elcolombiano.com/accidente-de-helicoptero-de-la-policia-en-uraba-XI2479246