Police Officers Killed in Colombia Helicopter Crash

Colombia’s Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas talks to the media during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, August 4, 2015.

Bogota- Fifteen police officers died today when the Black Hawk helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the volatile northwest part of the country, the country’s police agency said.

The police said in a statement that two other uniformed personnel are being treated for serious injuries.

The Black Hawk helicopter crashed as it tried to land in a remote mountainous area of Antioquia.

Authorities attributed the crash to risky climate.

Colombia’s largest newspaper, El Tiempo, posted on its web site an audio recording that it stated was a cockpit recording from an plane that was accompanying the crashed helicopter.

“There were three helicopters in the operation, and the other two didn’t hear any shots fired apart from those from the three helicopters (in the operation)”, Villegas said.

He said the most likely hypothesis was that low-lying clouds obstructed the pilots’ visibility and that the Black Hawk crashed into a hillside, he said. The aircraft was destroyed, he said.

The policemen aboard were part of a special operation to tackle members of drug smuggling gangs operating in the area, including the one of the leaders of notorious “Usaga Clan” gang, as mentioned by BBC. The United States is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.

“Uribe is aware of that I do not disguise info”, Villegas stated at a information convention in Bogota.

Any indication that the rebels were behind either crash would probably further weaken already plunging public support for the talks.