A solider was killed on Tuesday in a military helicopter crash in eastern Slovakia, a senior official confirmed, Xinhua reported.
The crash of the Mi-17 near the village of Hradisko in eastern Slovakia on Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of one of the three crew members, said Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Peter Gajdos here later in the day.
"The helicopter took off from an airbase in Presov at 1.30 p.m., and it performed routine training tasks -- landing in unknown terrain," said Galdos.
"The contact with the helicopter's crew was lost in half a hour and a search-and-rescue helicopter was dispatched at 2.13 p.m. to provide medical aid. The man died during resuscitation attempts, while the other two crew members sustained injuries," said Galdos.
Galdos added that until the causes of the accident are ascertained, all Mi-17 helicopters of Soviet production will be banned from flying.
Slovak Defence Minister Martin Glvac, who is now on holiday, will return earlier than planned. The investigation will be conducted by the ministry's Military Airforce Office.
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