Last body found in search for victims of horror helicopter crash in Portuguese river that killed five onboard
THE FINAL body has been found after a helicopter returning from fighting a fire crashed into a Portuguese river.
Tourists are said to have watched in horror as the chopper dived into the Douro River in northern Portugal on Friday killing five of the six on board.
The body of the fifth victim was found today after search and rescue divers have been frantically scouring the river for survivors.
Bodies of the two men who died were found inside the helicopter with two more bodies found near the aircraft’s tail.
The pilot, a civilian, survived the crash and remains in hospital.
His injuries are not life-threatening but subsequent reports said he had sustained broken lower legs.
The chopper had been tackling a fire in Baiao near to the crash scene when it went down.
Maritime Police described the crash as having “great violence” leading to the aircraft’s “total destruction”.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash, by the cop said it was unlikely a ditching.
The victims, aged from 29 to 45, are all members of the Emergency Protection and Rescue Unit (UEPS) of the national police.
Divers were from the Portuguese Navy and from a local Hydrographic Institute who used sonar to find the wreckage.
Drones and troops from the army also supported the search.
Engineers built a dam further upstream of the river to try and slow its flow and make it easier for divers.
The helicopter was removed from the water at around 11am this morning with the wreckage taken to a hangar for inspection.
GNR (National Republican Guard) spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mafalda Almeida, said: “We will not fail their families.”
“We bow before their greatness, in the certainty that the best way to honour their memory is to move forward, with the same dedication and bravery they demonstrated.”