Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN
This is the moment a police helicopter’s blades hit a lorry as the aircraft is about to take off.
The helicopter, which belongs to the Integrated Centre of Aerial Operations (CIOPAER) of the Military Police hit the lorry in the Second District of the city of Rio Branco in the northwestern Brazilian state of Acre.
In the video, the helicopter can be seen preparing to take off when a lorry turns a corner behind it. The lorry’s driver gets too close to the helicopter and the blades crash into the side of the vehicle.
The side of the lorry is ripped open and the helicopter blades seem to be bent out of shape in the collision.
Colonel Oliveira, from the Acre Military Police, said that there were five people in the helicopter at the time, two commanders and three members of the crew, and added “two crew members had light injuries and were taken for treatment” and are now “well”.
The lorry was being used by the Secretary of State for Health’s office to transport hospital waste. Charles Matos, a manager for the company the lorry belongs to, who was not at the scene, told reporters there had been three people in the vehicle at the time and none had been injured.
CIOAPER coordinator Nayk Souza said that there had been a police barrier in the area at the time and that all of the safety regulations had been followed.
Souza said: “This type of patrol with aircraft at specific landings happens everywhere and, to make it clear, this is an area where there was a police barrier, so there were signs and there was also one of the crew members at the time outside the aircraft. He only entered the aircraft at the time it was ready for takeoff. At the time of takeoff, the lorry went back and hit one of the blades.”
Police Commander Oliveira said that the helicopter had been participating in ‘Operation Close Border’ at the time of the incident and was patrolling the area. Local Security Secretary Ricardo Brandao said the helicopter had been taking off “from a strategic where it could easily access all the areas of the city quickly and effectively”.
An investigation into the causes of the incident has been launched.
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