Day of mourning observed for helicopter crash victims

Day of mourning observed for helicopter crash victims

The three-day period of mourning has been declared in Novi Pazar, southwestern Serbia, the hometown of the killed child, anaesthesiologist Dzevad Ljajic and anaesthetist Miroslav Veselinovic.

A Mi-17 transport helicopter crashed at 22:30 CET on March 13 near the Belgrade airport in foggy weather that caused several international flights to be rerouted that night.

Initially, an attempt was made to rescue the newbornin an ambulance vehicle, which became trapped on a road due to a rockslide, after which the army helicopter was sent.

The crash killed the four crew members - pilot Major Omer Mehic, pilot Captain Milovan Djukelic, Ensign Nebojsa Trajic and flight engineer Ensign Ivan Miladinovic, all from the 204th Air Force Brigade of the Serbian Army.

At Sunday's commemoration, family members, colleagues, top state officials and friends bid farewell to them.

"They were heroes, always among the first and where they were needed the most," said Air Force and Air Defense Commander Major-General Ranko Zivak.

They particularly demonstrated their humaneness and patriotism by rescuing those endangered by the catastrophic floods that hit Serbia last year, he said.

"Report"

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic met with Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and Serbian Army Chief of Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic on Sunday, "requesting an urgent and complete report" on the helicopter crash that killed seven people on Friday.

Nikolic noted that the tragedy was "shaking the country and the entire region and that its scale is larger than anyone can fathom at this moment," the presidential press office said in a statement carried by Tanjug.

"A humane, magnificent act has turned into a tragedy that shook Serbia deeply," Nikolic said.

"The entire nation is in a state of complete shock," the president said, noting that "composure must be maintained and light shed on all circumstances that led to the tragedy."

"Only the truth and presenting facts can dispel even the faintest doubt and preserve the credibility of an institution that enjoys the most trust among the Serbian citizens," Nikolic underscored.

Investigation

Two commissions have been set up to determine the causes of and the responsibility for the crash of a military helicopter that killed seven people, Serbian Army Chief of Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic, said on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference Brigadier General Predrag Bandic said that the meteorological situation was "complex but not unfavorable" when he gave the order to go ahead with the operation.

The weather worsened abruptly over the Belgrade municipality of Mladenovac, visibility was low and the crew made two unsuccessful attempts to land at the Nikola Tesla Airport, and all contact with the crew was lost at 22:21 CET.

General Dikovic said that the aircraft was found at 2 am on Saturday and noted that he and his aides feel personally responsible for the tragedy.

The extent of everyone's responsibility needs to be established by March 18, with the cause of the crash to be determined by March 30, he said.