File picture for illustration shows a soldier walking in front of a Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter at a military airport in Kabul, January 17, 2008/AFP
JAKARTA, Nov 9 – Thirteen people were killed on Saturday when an Indonesian army helicopter carrying construction workers crashed in the jungles of Borneo as it came in to land, an official said.
“Thirteen people died in the crash while the rest suffered burn injuries,” military spokesman Iskandar Sitompul told AFP.
There were 21 people on board, he said.
Earlier reports said nine people had been injured in the crash, in the Malinau district of North Kalimantan province in the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
Sitompul said earlier that the aircraft had burst into flames when it crashed.
The Russian-made, Mi-17 aircraft was carrying eight crew, who were military personnel, 13 civilian construction workers and materials weighing 500 kilos (1,100 pounds).
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