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Foreigner
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17.01.2002 21:00:36
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Рубрики
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ВВС;
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Погиб украинский летчик в Африке
Приветствую
"Pretoria - Police in Bujumbura have taken a Staff Sergeant of the SANDF's
peacekeeping force in Burundi into custody after a pilot died and 12 others
were injured in a crash between a truck and a bus carrying Ukranian and
Burundian pilots.
The setback means the fighter plane training programme of the Burundian Air
Force, which only owns two planes, has now ground to a halt.
An Air Force Hercules CZ130 cargo plane rushed to Bujumbura on Wednesday to
transport the injured to South Africa for treatment.
Staff Sergeant De Goede, a vehicle technician, was driving with a colleague
in a Samil 100 truck to the South African base from the airport in Bujumbura
on Wednesday.
It seems as if the driver swerved to avoid a cyclist and hit the bus head
on.
None of the South Africans was injured. A Ukranian was killed instantly.
According to the Defence Force, the chief flight instructor and four pilots
were injured, one seriously. According to Burundian sources, 12 pilots were
injured.
The Staff Sergeant was allegedly arrested for his own safety. It is
apparently the custom in Burundi after fatal accidents to prevent the local
community from taking revenge.
It is unclear whether the Staff Sergeant will be charged and with what.
According to Burundian sources, the Staff Sergeant will probably be released
soon because of the nature of his presence in Burundi and the good
relationship between these countries' peacekeeping forces.
The uninjured cyclist has already stated in an affidavit to police that the
Samil swerved to avoid hitting him.
The Burundian Air Force only has two Mi-24 fighter planes that it bought a
few months ago to improve its Air Force. The Ukranian flight instructor was
training Burundian pilots as part of the deal. The Air Force also owns a few
Russian helicopters.
The Air Force plane sent to fetch the injured had additional crew on board
to allow an uninterrupted flight to Bujumbura. A medical team went along
after the Burundian Defence Force requested South African assistance.
The injured will be taken to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria.
The incident follows shortly after a member of the South African
peacekeeping force, Elvis Makhado, was murdered outside Bujumbura two weeks
ago