Two crew members have died and another one has been injured in a medical helicopter crash in Shelby County in the US state of Alabama, the local sheriff’s office said.
The incident occurred at around 5:30 pm local time on Sunday, when the helicopter was called in to transport a hiker with chest pains and breathing problems.
“There were three crew members on board the aircraft at the time of the crash. Tragically, I can say now that we can confirm the fatality of two,” Shelby County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Clay Hammac told a press briefing, as broadcast by local media.
One of the crew members was declared dead on the spot, while the other died in the hospital, where he was transported along with the third crew member, who was in a critical condition as of Sunday night, US firm Air Methods that operated the aircraft said on Twitter.
The hiker was not on the helicopter when it crashed, the operator specified, adding that he had been taken to a local hospital separately from the helicopter crew.
