Copter crash kills 7 in Peru Amazon jungle

At least seven people, including five US citizens and two Peruvians, have been killed after a BV-234 helicopter crashed into a commercial building in a village located in Peru’s Amazon jungle, officials say.

“There are seven dead, including five Americans and two Peruvians,” said a local prosecutor, Marcos Ochos following the incident.

The incident took place on Monday at 2:57 p.m. local time (1957 GMT) in the village of San Juan situated in the jungle region of Ucayali, Ochos added.

Reports say that the helicopter was carrying people working for Petrominerales Ltd., a Canada-based oil and mining company focused on Latin American countries, including Colombia and Peru.

Local media said that the helicopter, which was travelling from the eastern city of Pucallpa to Tarapoto, took off from the Pucallpa international airport hours earlier.

Following the deadly crash, Peru’s air transport agency, Corpac issued a statement, saying that the helicopter had been operated by “the local unit of US based Columbia Helicopters.”

Rescue workers, police officers, and firefighters rushed to the site of the crash and cordoned off the area.