Eight soldiers and one gendarme die: An FRA Puma crashes off Sidi Ifni

A Royal Air Force (FRA) Puma-type helicopter carrying eleven people on board crashed at sea off Sidi Ifni, leaving nine dead and two seriously injured. Eight of the victims died instantly and a ninth succumbed to his injuries upon his transfer to the Guelmim hospital.The crash reportedly occurred during military training manoeuvres that the Royal Army customarily carried out in this region. All the victims are military personnel except for one of them, a member of the Royal Gendarmerie, who had been newly assigned there.In this highly militarised region, accidents of this kind are frequent. Already last April, during joint manoeuvres between the US Navy and the Royal Armed Forces, two American soldiers died during the crash of their helicopter upon take-off from Cap Draa. Three other US soldiers were injured during this tragedy.Even more dramatic in this region, a military plane (C130 H…