A NIGERIAN military helicopter in the River State capital of Port Harcourt on Thursday, barely days after a jet
belonging to the Nigerian Air Force crashed in neighboring Niger.
According to defense officials, the crash happened Thursday morning at a military base in the capital city, although the crew escaped unharmed. Local witnesses described seeing a plume of smoke rise from the base. The air force identified the helicopter as a Russian-made Mi-24B attack helicopter.
The statement said an investigation into the cause of the crash has started. The latest incident comes on the heels of a fatal crash of military jet taking part in military operations against Islamic militants in Mali crashed in western Niger on Monday. Two crew members aboard the ill-fated crash died in the attack.
Until the Monday incident, there had been no reports of casualties of Nigerian troops in the French-led military campaign in the francophone African nation. A spokesman from the Nigerian Defense Headquaters, Chris Olukolade confirmed the incident, saying that the jet was one of four based in the Nigerien capital of Niamey.
The aircraft, an Alpha jet, was on a non-combat mission as at the time of the incident.