Military helicopter crashes into river in eastern Germany

A German military helicopter crashed into a river near the town of Grimma in the east of the country, a police spokeswoman told dpa on Tuesday.

The fate of the pilot or pilots was initially unclear, a spokesman for the fire brigade association of the Leipzig district has said.

The helicopter disappeared between 10 and 10:30 am (0800-0830 GMT), the spokesman cited air-traffic control as saying. Paddlers found debris in the Mulde river around noon.

According to the Leipzig police spokeswoman, the Bundeswehr has established a military exclusion zone at the crash site.

The Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to inquiries about the incident.

Large quantities of kerosene have leaked at the scene of the crash. The wreck is lying in the middle of the river and is difficult to access, the fire brigade spokesman told dpa.

Some 50 emergency personnel are on site to clear up the kerosene first and then begin the recovery, he said.

Grimma is about 25 kilometres from Leipzig.

Source: dpa