Accessibility links

Breaking News

Guatemalan General Killed in Copter Crash Near Mexico Border


In this photo released by the Guatemalam Volunteer Fire Department, firefighters and soldiers inspect the scene of a helicopter crash in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, near the border with Mexico.
In this photo released by the Guatemalam Volunteer Fire Department, firefighters and soldiers inspect the scene of a helicopter crash in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, near the border with Mexico.

A top military general in Guatemala and four other officers were killed Wednesday when their military helicopter crashed near the Mexican border.

Guatemalan Defense Minister Manuel Lopez confirmed that General Rudy Ortiz was among the five people killed in the crash.

Ortiz and the other officers were on a routine inspection of military installations when the Bell 206 helicopter went down in the village of El Nenton.

Lopez said the cause of the crash is under investigation, adding that weather may have been a factor.

General Ortiz has been touted by Guatemalan media as a potential defense minister in recent weeks.

The president of Guatemala, Otto Perez, offered his condolences via Twitter.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG