One lifeless and 4 lacking as helicopter crashes into Portuguese river
- The helicopter crashed into the Douro River near the northern city of Lamego
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A body has been recovered after a firefighting helicopter with six people on board crashed into a river in northern Portugal.
The pilot of the chopper is said to have been rescued by a tourist boat on the Douro River, while four other crewmembers remain missing.
The aircraft is reported to be underwater after it crashed in Cambres, near the city of Lamego.
The alarm was raised around 12.30pm this afternoon, and a vast search and rescue operation was launched in the area.
Divers are searching the water, with the operation also involving maritime police and recreational boats, according to authorities.
Emergency workers are searching for five missing people after a helicopter crash in Portugal
Police, firefighters, divers, recreational boats and military personnel are involved in the search, a GNR spokesperson said
File image shows a view of the River Douro in the north of Portugal, where the crash took place
GNR chief Mafalda Gomes de Almeida has confirmed the only person rescued so far is the helicopter pilot, who was taken to a nearby hospital.
He sustained some fractures and is suffering from hypothermia after the crash, local media reports, but is not in a life threatening condition.
The helicopter had been returning from fighting a fire in Baião, around 45 miles east of the city of Porto, according to reports.
A spokesman for the GNR police force confirmed: ‘The search is continuing in the river for the five members of the UEPS who are still missing.
‘Maritime police, firefighters, divers, recreational boats and GNR military personnel are involved.
‘The causes of the accident are as yet unknown.
‘The pilot of the helicopter was rescued alive with minor injuries.’
The Douro Valley is a popular destination with tourists, famed for its wine and scenery, with a large section designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Douro River is the longest in the Iberian peninsula and flows from the north of Spain, through Portugal and into the Atlantic at Porto.
