Military helicopter crashes in Mexico, killing 13 quake survivors on the ground - latimes

After a powerful earthquake struck Mexico Friday, frightened survivors near the quake's epicenter gathered in a field, opting to spend the night sleeping under the stars or in vehicles instead of in damaged homes vulnerable to aftershocks.

And then, a second unexpected crisis hit. This time, it fell from the sky.

A military helicopter carrying top officials assessing quake damage was preparing to land nearby when the pilot lost control. A few seconds later, the helicopter crashed to the earth — directly onto several vehicles packed with earthquake survivors.

Fourteen people on the ground died and least 21 people were injured, according to the state prosecutor's office in Oaxaca, where the crash took place. The dead include at least three children.

Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete, Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat and everybody else aboard the helicopter survived with only minor injuries, officials said.

Navarrete told a local journalist that the pilot of the Blackhawk helicopter lost control about 100 feet above the ground as it was preparing to land in the town of Jamiltepec, about 20 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.

"It is unfortunate that this happened," Navarrete told Televisa news Friday night, adding that it was good that "there was no greater loss of human lives." - Read More

Military helicopter crashes in Mexico, killing 13 quake survivors on the ground

Magnitude 7.2 earthquake slams Mexico's Oaxaca state