5 soldiers die in helicopter crash

Five soldiers, four of them Colombian, one a Mexican lieutenant, have died after a collision between two helicopters during a training exercise, El Tiempo reports.

Three other Colombian officials and another Mexican lieutenant who was participating in the exercise were also injured.

The incident between the two UH-1H helicopters occurred near the Melgar base in the department of Tolima, 45 miles southeast of Bogota.

It is the second accident in less than a month for Colombia’s air force. On February 18, four men were killed, including commander of the army’s 5th Brigade, General Alfredo Bocanegra, in a helicopter crash in the department of Santander.

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