Six people were rushed to a Richards Bay hospital in
KwaZulu-Natal after a Puma helicopter crashed on the deck of the Jolly Rubino trawler on Saturday morning, government officials said.
The aircraft, carrying 17 passengers, caught fire immediately after it crashed in Richards Bay, Environmental Affairs representative Zodumo Mbuli said.
Mbuli said the six passengers were in a critical condition. The rest escaped unscathed. They were being evacuated from the aircraft.
”Our people are currently at the scene. We are investigating the cause of the accident. We want to know how it happened,” she said.
Police representative Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo, said the accident occurred around 7.30am and that a 17-member crew were salvaging the remains of the Italian cargo vessel which grounded on a sandbank 1,2km north east of the Cape St Lucia lighthouse.
The Jolly Rubino was en route from Durban to Mombasa when it caught fire about three months ago. It was carrying a cargo of container with hazardous and highly flammable chemicals when it burnt about 22 miles off Richards Bay. – Sapa