An INEM helicopter crashed during an emergency landing this Monday in Ateí, Mondim de Basto.
The AW139 aircraft is said to have hit the ground during an emergency landing and eventually broken up into pieces.
The team was heading to a situation where a worker had fallen in a quarry when the accident occurred.
The National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) said in a statement that all passengers on board the helicopter, the pilot, co-pilot, doctor and nurse, were out of danger. They were taken to Vila Real Hospital as a precaution but have since been discharged.
The accident occurred at 12:55.
Fire chief Mondim de Basto reported early in the night that the operatives called to the scene had already been demobilized. INEM arrived at the scene in a helicopter based in Viseu to provide pre-hospital care and evacuate the victim.
“The plane no longer poses a danger, there is no fuel spillage and there is no visible damage to the tank. There is no risk,” Carlos Magalhães said in a statement to Lusa.
The commander reported that firefighters would be called in again to monitor the operation to remove fuel and the helicopter from this location.
Carlos Magalhães said it was expected that the work could be carried out as early as tomorrow, but there was no certainty yet.
He said NTC soldiers remained at the scene to ensure the safety of the plane.
In the afternoon, the commander said the operators would remain on the ground as a precaution due to the 900 liters of fuel in the craft and the medical equipment containing oxygen.
According to the website of the National Directorate of Emergencies and Civil Protection (ANEPC), 58 emergency personnel and 21 vehicles from the Mondim de Basto and Celorico de Basto fire brigade, the Portuguese Red Cross, the PNP and the Civil Protection Municipal Accident, INEM and the GPIAAF were mobilized to the scene.
An INEM helicopter based in Macedo de Cavaleiros was mobilised following an industrial accident in the town of Suzeiros in the parish of Ateí, in which a 38-year-old man fell in a quarry.
Author: Fatima Vilasa And Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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