Four confirmed dead as wreckage of military helicopter is found

FOUR crew members of a missing Spanish military helicopter have been confirmed dead, as the wreckage is finally found near the Canary Islands.

After a month-long search by naval, police and maritime rescue services, the helicopter was found in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The bodies of the missing crew members were inside the wreckage, which was found by a deep-diving robot at a depth of more than 2,300 metres (7,500 feet).

“According to images sent by the robot from the boat ‘Ares’, the four missing crew members are still inside,” said Spain’s defence ministry in a statement.

The ‘viability’ of recovering the bodies is currently being studied, as the depth of the helicopter would severely complicate any recovery operation.

One crew member survived when the Super Puma helicopter crashed into the sea off the coast of the Canary Islands, on March 19, during a practice of a routine rescue operation.

The search for the helicopter focused on an area 25 nautical miles south west of Fuerteventura island, off the north west coast of Africa.