Helicopter crashes in sea off Dubai, search underway for crew

The Air Accident Investigation Sector of the General Civil Aviation Authority in the United Arab Emirates has announced the crash of a helicopter that took off from an airport in Dubai on Thursday evening, stating that the search is underway for its crew consisting of two individuals. 

According to a statement released by the government news agency "WAM," a report was received by the authority at 20:30 local time (16:30 GMT), indicating "the crash of a Bell 212 vertical aircraft, belonging to AeroGulf." 

It further noted that the helicopter crashed "into the sea with two pilots of Egyptian and South African nationalities on board, during a night training flight that took off from Al Maktoum International Airport" in the southern emirate of Dubai. 

The statement added that "search and rescue teams have retrieved the wreckage, and the search for the aircraft crew is ongoing, with the aviation accident investigation team having been dispatched to the site." 

The company is the primary operator of commercial helicopters in the emirate and was established in 1976 to provide services to the oil and gas sector before expanding its services to include other sectors. 

AFP