Spanish Navy units have recovered the Spanish Airforce helicopter which crashed 40 nautical miles southwest of Dakhla, Morocco.
This incident, which occurred on October 22, left three persons dead. Their bodies were recovered after a search operation on October 31.
According to the Spanish Navy, Offshore patrol vessel Rayo and minesweepers ESPS Segura and ESPS Turia later returned to the area to recover the remains of the helicopter. However, the dives showed that the adverse weather conditions had affected the integrity of the helicopter and the minesweepers had to perform an additional search operation to draw a new map of the wreckage and devise a new salvage program. The divers then prepared to refloat different parts of the helicopter that had split in depths of around 40 meters.
The next day a Multi Purpose Offshore Vessel Olympic Zeus hoisted the main parts of the helicopter, while divers recovered minor material that was dispersed at the site. After the recovery of the remains, the ship proceeded to Las Palmas.
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Naval Today Staff, Image: Spanish Navy