- Local media reported that the helicopter hit a zipline before crashing and bursting into flames
- The helicopter was on a rescue mission near Jebel Jais when it crashed
DUBAI: A rescue helicopter crashed in Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday evening killing all of the crew, the country’s civil aviation authority said.
Local media reported that the helicopter struck a zip line before crashing and bursting into flames. Video circulated on social media showed the helicopter spinning before it crashed into the mountain.
The dead include three Emiratis and a foreigner.
“An Agusta 139 helicopter in a rescue mission crashed in Jebel Jais area in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah," state news agency WAM quoted the UAE’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) as saying.
Ras Al-Khaimah's ruler, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, ordered an urgent investigation into the helicopter’s crash.
He also ordered "a comprehensive investigation of the security and safety requirements in place to determine the cause of this painful incident," WAM reported.
The Agusta 139 helicopter was operated by the UAE's National Search and Rescue Center. (File photo: WAM)
The statement added that the helicopter crashed at about 5:55 p.m. local time (1:55 p.m. GMT).
An official said the helicopter from the National Search and Rescue Center was on a mission to airlift an injured man from Jebel Jais but the helicopter crashed before reaching the man.
Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE, is home to the world's longest zipline.
Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE, is home to the world's longest zipline. (Shutterstock)
The zipline, measuring 2.83 kilometers long, opened in February as part of an effort by the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah to attract more tourists and residents from neighboring emirates like Abu Dhabi and Dubai.