Three dead in US military helicopter crash in Sicily: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (AFP) Jul 16, 2003
Three US military personnel were killed and a fourth was missing Wednesday when their helicopter crashed on a training flight near a naval air station in Sicily, the Pentagon said.

"The helicopter from Helicopter Support Squadron (HC) 4 crashed approximately 10 miles inland, west-southwest of Naval Air Station Sigonella near Palagonia, Sicily...at 5 pm local time (1500 GMT)" while on "a routine training mission," Fleet Air Mediterranean said in a statement.

It said the search for the missing crewman had been suspended until Thursday morning because of darkness.

An enquiry was opened into the cause of the accident, said the statement.

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