11 injured in UN helicopter crash in Mali

INA-  Sources 

Eleven people on board a United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) helicopter were injured on Thursday when the aircraft banked and fell on its left side after landing in Gao (north), the peacekeeping force said. 
The initial tally released by a MINUSMA representative spoke of two wounded. 
The accident occurred when the helicopter “overturned” due to “strong winds on the Gao Airport tarmac,” the mission said on Twitter. He clarified that of the passengers “two are in a critical condition” while the other nine suffered “slight” injuries. 
The helicopter with 10 passengers and a crew of 4 capsized at around 15:30 [σ.σ. τοπική ώρα· 18:30 ώρα Ελλάδας], after it landed and began taxiing on the runway adjacent to the UN blue-collar base. He had departed from Kindal (North). 
The injured were taken to a hospital, according to the MINUSMA representative. 
Long distances and poor or non-existent road conditions, combined with insecurity, force UN staff to use air transport frequently. But his movements face difficulties due to the restrictions imposed by the Sahel country’s military junta. 
MINUSMA has deployed some 12,000 soldiers and 1,600 police in Mali, a country that has been wracked since 2012 by the spread of deadly jihadist activity and a multi-dimensional, deep crisis.

Source: Hellas posts