TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2020) One member of the Canadian armed forces is dead and five others are missing following a military helicopter crash off of the coast of Greece, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a briefing on Thursday.
"Yesterday, a Royal Canadian Navy helicopter on a NATO mission carrying six members of the Canadian armed forces went down with all hands in the Ionian Sea off the coast of Greece. They were flying from the Canadian naval frigate HMCS Fredericton - home port of Halifax - as part of Operation REASSURANCE. One casualty was recovered and five are missing," Trudeau told reporters.
The body of marine systems engineering officer Sub. Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough has been recovered, Chief of the Defense Staff Jonathan Vance said during the briefing.
Vance noted that the helicopter did not come into contact with another air vessel, nor is there any evidence that suggests the chopper was shot down.
Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan said that Canadian forces are being assisted by Greece, Italy, Turkey and the United States in the search and recovery efforts.
The flight data and voice recorders have been recovered, Sajjan added.
The Canadian helicopter fleet has been placed on an operational pause at home and abroad while experts assess the cause of the accident.
The HMCS Fredericton frigate - where the ill-fated helicopter was based - was engaged in training exercises with Italian and Turkish ships at the time of the accident.
The helicopter was part of Operation REASSURANCE, a NATO mission in Central and Eastern Europe as a deterrent to Russian and other adversarial efforts to undermine European and North Atlantic security, Vance said.
According to Canada's Department of National Defense, REASSURANCE is the country's largest military operation abroad, with up to 915 Canadian armed forces members deployed at any time.
