Second deadly crash of German army helicopter in a week

Frankfurt am Main: An army helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing the pilot, defence officials said, in the second fatal crash in a week for a military plagued with equipment problems.

The aircraft hit the ground in Aerzen, near Hamelin in northwest Germany, at around 1:45 pm (1145 GMT). The reason for the crash is not yet known. Firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash, which caused multiple blazes in a nearby forested area. The impact site is around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Bundeswehr (German army) helicopter training centre in Bueckeburg. The pilot was killed and one person injured, a defence ministry spokesman told.