One dead, five missing after Canadian military helicopter crashes near Greece
- The Cyclone aircraft was deployed on board the frigate HMCS Fredericton during a Nato training exercise
- Deceased identified as 23-year-old Abbigail Cowbrough, from Nova Scotia
One person is dead and five are missing after a military helicopter operating off a Canadian frigate during a Nato exercise crashed into the sea between Greece and Italy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.
Trudeau said one body had been found, and the five others aboard the aircraft were missing.
“We hold out hope to find the missing,” Trudeau said.
The Cyclone helicopter was deployed on board the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton and was taking part in a Nato training exercise off the coast of Greece when the incident occurred, according to the Canadian Armed Forces.
General Jonathan Vance, Canada’s top military official, said the ship that lost contact with the aircrew on Wednesday evening and that flares were spotted from the water minutes later. Vance said flares would have been fired automatically when the aircraft ditched.