Key Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett was one of five people killed when a helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of New Mexico, police said Thursday.
One other person “sustained serious injuries,” New Mexico state police said in a statement. The private Huey UH-1, which had six people on board, crashed Wednesday evening about 15 miles east of Raton, located near the Colorado state line.
It’s unclear what caused the crash and officials said “the nature of this flight is not known.” Those onboard were identified as: Jamie Coleman Dodd, 57, the pilot; Paul Cobb, 67; Charles Ryland Burnett, 61; Roy Bennett, 60; and Eileen Bennett, 55.
“FAA will arrive [Thursday] to investigate cause of the crash. #NMSP officers still working to gain information,” police tweeted.
Bennett had been a member of the British South Africa Police and the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. As the treasurer for the Movement for DemocraticChange party, he drew the ire of ousted leader Robert Mugabe.
Huey helicopters are flown for individuals, businesses and government agencies. Raton is 175 miles northeast of Albuquerque.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: https://www.zimeye.net/roy-bennet-killed-together-with-4-others-fresh-details/
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