Five dead in US Navy helicopter crash in Nevada

Reno, Nevada, May 9: All five crew members on a helicopter flying out of Nevada's Fallon Naval Air Station died in a crash about 16 km west of Austin, Nevada, base officials said today.

Spokesman Zip Upham said the helicopter apparently struck a high-voltage power line while on a search and rescue training mission at 9:30 pm yesterday night. The remote area is about 265 km east of Reno.

Navy investigators were in the northern Nevada desert early today to recover the bodies of the five sailors.

''While the investigation is just beginning, I am hopeful that it will be swift so that the victims' loved ones will have a better understanding of how this tragedy occurred,'' US Senator Harry Reid of Nevada said.

The SH-60F helicopter was part of a helicopter anti-submarine squadron in Jacksonville, Florida.

Reuters>