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11 soldiers die in copter crash
19/04/2008 09:42 - (SA)
Mexico City - A military helicopter crashed in western Mexico on Friday, killing 11 soldiers and seriously injuring another, the Defence Department said.
The soldiers, including an army major, were on their way to raid a marijuana field when their helicopter lost strength and crashed outside the city of Uruapan in the western state of Michoacan, the department said in a news release.
It said only one soldier survived, and he was flown to a military hospital in Mexico City, where he was in serious condition. The department said it was investigating what caused the crash.
President Felipe Calderon had sent more than 20 000 soldiers and federal agents to several states, including Michoacan, to battle powerful drug cartels that had been fighting each other for territory. Drug-related violence had left thousands dead for the past few years.
- AP
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