A helicopter carrying several Saudi officials, including a high-ranking prince, has crashed in the kingdom’s southwest near the border with Yemen.
Prince Mansour bin Muqrin Al Saud, deputy governor of Asir province, was on a tour of local projects west of the city of Abha when the crash happened.
The Saudi interior ministry said in a statement on Monday that the helicopter’s wreckage had been found and an investigation was underway.
The cause of the crash is still unknown.
A video, believed to be the last one of Prince Mansour alive, was released by the channel, showing him and accompanying officials boarding the helicopter …
https://twitter.com/AbduAseeri/status/927262576005787649
The crash site is reported near Abha, in the south of The Kingdom in the Asir Region, bordering Yemen. The area has seen a number of cross-border retaliatory attacks from Yemen in recent months, reportedly leading to casualties among Saudi troops.
The bodies of the deceased officials have been recovered.
وفاة نائب أمير #عسير #منصور_بن_مقرن ومرافقيه في تحطم طائرة. تعازينا للأسرة المالكة وللشعب السعودي ولمنطقة عسير. #تحطم_طايره_مروحيه_عسير pic.twitter.com/QvVkfItXTl
— شبكة نازلة بلّحمر الإعلامية (@nazlah_com) November 5, 2017
The Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya reported that Prince Mansour bin Muqrin died in the crash. Seven other officials were also reportedly killed.
The son of former Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, Prince Mansour bin Muqrin was appointed deputy governor of Asir province, which borders Yemen, earlier this year.
Videos posted on Twitter hours before the crash showed him carrying out an inspection of defense and environmental projects.