Three dead in Algeria military helicopter crash

Three Algerian navy officers died when their helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean on Wednesday morning west of the capital Algiers, the defence ministry said.

The MS-25 Merlin search and rescue helicopter plunged into the sea during a training flight off the coastal province of Tipaza with three pilots on board, a ministry statement said.

An amateur video showed the helicopter spinning out of control then slamming into the water.

The ministry said it had opened an investigation.

Algeria has seen a number of accidents involving military aircraft in recent years.

In January, a fighter jet crashed on a night training exercise in the east of the North African country, killing both of its crew.

In April 2018, an Ilyushin Il-76 heavy transport aircraft crashed south of Algiers with the loss of all 257 people on board, most of them military personnel, the deadliest air accident in Algerian history.