The death toll as of 10:30 am (08:30 GMT) was already 18, including three children, in addition to 29 injured, including 15 minors.
According to Ukrainian media, on board the helicopter were, in addition to Monastyrsky, his first deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Interior Ministry Yuriy Lubkovych. (Photo: web)
Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky has died along with his deputy and 16 other people in the accident of a helicopter that crashed this morning in the Ukrainian city of Brovary, Kyiv region, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“This morning, January 18, a rescue helicopter crashed in Brovary. As a result of the plane crash, the heads of the Interior Ministry died: the Minister, the First Deputy Minister and the Secretary of State,” the National Police statement said.
The head of the regional military administration in Kyiv, Oleksiy Kuleba, reported that by 10:30 am (08:30 GMT) the death toll had already risen to 18, including three children, and 29 wounded, including 15 minors.
Police had previously reported 16 deaths, including 2 children, and that nine of the deaths were on board the helicopter.
In addition, 22 people are hospitalized, including 10 children, he added.
According to Ukrainian media, on board the helicopter were, in addition to Monastyrsky, his first deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Interior Ministry Yuriy Lubkovych.
In statements for television collected by Unian, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command Yuriy Ihnat indicated that the helicopter that crashed in Brovary was performing state rescue service duties.
“Unfortunately, this happened to the State Emergency Medical Service helicopter, which was performing its duties and conducting an overflight. Currently in Ukraine there are a certain number of such helicopters performing defense tasks for the country,” he said.
He added that we’ll have to wait for details from the state emergency service.
Kuleba had initially reported on his Telegram account about the crashed helicopter near a kindergarten and a residential building, but without naming the number of dead and injured.
“At the time of the tragedy, children and employees of the facility were in kindergarten. At this point, everyone was evacuated. There are victims,” he said.
