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US relief chopper crashes
10/01/2005 08:53 - (SA)
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| US Navy servicemen gather next to the wreckage of a US Navy SH-60 Seahawk helicopter after it crashed in a rice paddy near Banda Aceh's airport. (Bullit Marquez, AP) |
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Banda Aceh - A US helicopter on a tsunami relief operation crashed on Monday near Banda Aceh's airport, injuring at least two American servicemen, while strong aftershocks and security concerns provided more challenges for aid workers two weeks after the disaster hit.
The SH60 helicopter crashed in a rice paddy about 500m from the airport in Banda Aceh, the main city on Indonesia's tsunami-battered Sumatra island, as it was trying to land, said Captain Joe Plenzler, a US military spokesperson.
"There was no fire ball but a little smoke. It landed on its side," Plenzler said, adding that the helicopter's propeller was twisted from the impact.
The US military suspended helicopter flights for about two hours after the crash to investigate, but said there was no indication the chopper had been shot down.
Aids workers 'not targets'
The crash came a day after Indonesia warned aid workers that rebels in Aceh have taken shelter in camps for survivors. The rebels have waged a separatist war in the province for nearly three decades in a conflict that has killed thousands. An unofficial truce settled in after the tsunami hit, but recent skirmishes have prompted Indonesia's military to step up patrols for the guerrillas.
Relief workers helping survivors of the disaster that has killed more than 150 000 people across 11 countries and left millions homeless and threatened by disease said they were being cautious but won't let concerns about the rebellion slow the flow of aid.
"We don't believe that aid workers are targets," said Joel Boutroue, head of the UN relief effort in Aceh.
Aftershocks continued to rattle residents in the hardest-hit countries. A 6.2-magnitude temblor sent people scrambling from their homes early on Monday in Banda Aceh, but no injuries or damage were reported.
No military role
The Indonesian government's security warning offered no details about the infiltration into survivor camps, but was issued hours after police blamed separatists for nighttime gunfire close to the main UN compound in Banda Aceh.
Local military spokesperson Ahmad Yani Basuki said volunteers must understand that Aceh "is not like other regions in Indonesia".
"This is still a conflict-torn region," he said.
Security concerns have also been heightened by the appearance of Laskar Mujahidin, an extremist group with alleged links to al-Qaeda. The group has set up an aid camp, but says it only wants to help and won't target foreigners.
Australia, which led a UN military operation in the Indonesian province of East Timor in 1999 when it voted for independence, made clear on Monday its troops would play no military role in Aceh.
"That is an internal, domestic matter for Indonesia. We are there as a friend trying to give practical help," prime minister John Howard told CNN.
"We're not engaged in military operations in Indonesia and we won't be and we don't expect any requests to be," he said.
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