Brazilian tourists die in Chilean copter crash

SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov 25 (Reuters) Five Brazilian tourists and their Chilean pilot died when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in southern Chile, the Interior Ministry said.

The helicopter took off yesterday at 1.35 pm local time (1635 GMT/1135 EST) from an airbase near the city of Coyhaique, 1,170 miles (1,887 km) south of the Chilean capital Santiago. An hour later, it issued a distress call before disappearing.

Rescue teams found the wreckage and the six bodies just after 700 pm local time. There were no survivors.

Southern Chile is an increasingly popular destination for tourists, drawn to its lakes, fjords, rivers, snow-capped mountains and glaciers. Many visitors hire light aircraft to get a bird's eye view of the scenery.

Reuters DH VP0700