Saudi military helicopter crashes, seven dead

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) _ A Saudi air force helicopter crashed Sunday, killing all seven people on board, including three officers, the Defense Ministry said. <br><br>The European-made Cougar crashed

Sunday, November 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) _ A Saudi air force helicopter crashed Sunday, killing all seven people on board, including three officers, the Defense Ministry said.

The European-made Cougar crashed while it was trying to land at Qassim airport in northern Saudi Arabia, said a ministry official in a report issued by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Bad weather caused the helicopter to crash, the report said. It did not mention an earlier statement by a Saudi official that the helicopter had caught fire before it crashed.

The helicopter took off from a military base in al-Kharj in central Saudi Arabia to rescue a flood victim in the area, he said.

Meanwhile, a Saudi official speaking on condition of anonymity said a British-made Tornado fighter plane belonging to the Saudi air force crashed in Beesha in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

He said that both the pilot and co-pilot were able to parachute out before the crash. The cause of that crash was not immediately known.