Two persons were injured.
At 10.49 am this morning, a civilian helicopter with three people crash-landed on the Croatian island of Zlarin. Two of the persons were injured, reports Večernji List on July 3, 2018.
Spokeswoman of the Šibenik-Knin Police Department Marica Kosor confirmed the news, adding that, according to initial information, the injuries suffered were not life-threatening. She pointed out that the injured persons had received medical help, and that the whole incident was being investigated.
“The initial information was that a helicopter had crashed into the sea and that there are multiple injuries, but later it was determined that the helicopter did not crash into the sea, but crash-landed on the island. We will have more information after the crime scene investigation is completed, but I can confirm that it was not a military, but a civilian helicopter;” said Kosor.
Witnesses on the island described the incident as quite dramatic, adding that it indeed was a crash-landing. Antoni Biberica from the Zlatin Community Board was one of the eyewitnesses. He first heard a helicopter and then saw it flying unusually low above the sea and the island.
“It sounded strange and I immediately thought it might be a mechanical failure. I realised something was wrong when objects started falling out of the helicopter. Then it suddenly disappeared. We immediately went to the location where we assumed it had landed or crashed. About fifty metres away, we saw that it had landed on a field, but when I came closer I realised that it had probably crash-landed. The part of the helicopter on which it usually lands was completely demolished, while a part of the tail was torn apart,” said the witness.
“I came closer and saw that it was a civilian helicopter. Inside was a Croatian pilot who was transporting middle-aged tourists. The foreigners had scratches on their bodies, and some wounds, but I do not know whether they had fallen out of the helicopter or were they rather injured when the helicopter impacted the ground. The pilot was completely shocked by the incident and he just said he was okay. It all happened in just a few moments. Unfortunately, I did not have a mobile phone with me to photograph it,” said the witness.
Translated from Večernji List (reported by Frane Šarić).
