Germany helicopter crash: Two soldiers die after aircraft crash into river

Two members of the German Army died after a helicopter crashed into a river near the town of Grimma, according to an official. German politician Thomas Erndl said the two armed forces members "lost their lives during a training exercise" shortly after news broke of the incident on Tuesday. The military aircraft crashed into Mulde River in Saxony while on a training flight, a spokesperson for the Air Force said, after disappearing from the air traffic control radar at around 10:30am.

Police were alerted to "helicopoter parts in the water" around an hour later, reports suggest. Federal, state and water authorities were called to the scene, with a restricted military zone set up around the crash site. Large quanities of kerosene leaked into the river following the collision, the DPA news agency reports, with around 50 emergency personnel launching a containment operation before attempting to salvage the helicopter.

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