(5th LD) 5 killed, 1 injured in military helicopter crash in Pohang

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POHANG/SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- A Marine Corps helicopter crashed at a military airport in the southeastern city of Pohang on Tuesday, killing five of the six Marines aboard and injuring the other, officials said.

The helicopter was on a test flight in Pohang, some 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, after repair when it went down from a height of about 10 meters around 4:46 p.m. and caught fire, Marine Corps officials said.

Five of the six aboard were killed, and the other was taken to Ulsan University Hospital in Ulsan, about 40 kilometers south of Pohang, they said. All five deceased were later identified as Marines. A firefighter was also injured while extinguishing the fire on the scene, according to Marine Corps.

The injured, identified as a Marine master sergeant surnamed Kim, was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital at 5:57 p.m., according to officials there. They also said Kim sustained severe cuts to his face and both knees.

The military will form an investigation committee to determine the cause of the crash, officials said.

The crashed helicopter was identified as the MUH-1, the Marine version of the KUH-1 Surion developed by the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The Marines received these helicopters in January this year. The MUH-1s are the first major aircraft possessed by the 28,800-strong troops since they were integrated into the Navy in 1973. The Marines had been relying on the assets of other branches to transport its service members and equipment.

The MUH-1 is nicknamed Marineon, a combination of the words Marine and Surion.

The KAI issued a statement expressing its condolences to the families of the victims.

"We'll fully cooperate with the military to identify the cause of the crash," the KAI said. "With the investigation still ongoing, we'd like to ask the media to refrain from speculating on causes."

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