Seven dead in Slovakia in crash of helicopter possibly people

BRATISLAVA: A helicopter flown from Ukraine possibly smuggling migrants crashed in a remote part of eastern Slovakia, killing at least seven people, authorities said Friday.
Slovakian police believe the flight was carrying illegal migrants over the European Union's outer border, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivan Netik told dpa.
The number of dead is expected to rise.
Interior Minister Robert Kalinak previously reported that the helicopter, identified as an Mi-2, had been spotted Wednesday making an illegal flight over the border.
The helicopter flew at night under foggy conditions to evade Slovakian border protection, keeping low and making risky manoevres, Kalinak said: "As you can see, smugglers or human traffickers do not shy away from anything."
Six bodies initially were found in the wreckage, which was discovered Friday.
The seventh body was found several hours later.
The wreckage was strewn across a remote area with trees and a river, police said.
Ukrainian border police said they believed two Ukrainians were on board the helicopter, along with at least four people from South-East Asia, including two women.
The Slovakian Interior Ministry said identification of the remains was difficult because the bodies were severely disfigured in the crash.
Slovakian police have not yet fully ruled out that the helicopter was flying on behalf of cigarette smugglers.
Officials have observed bands of smugglers operating along the Ukrainian-Slovakian border undertaking daring means to haul large quantities of cigarettes across the border.
In September a man died in the emergency landing of a small plane, and tunnels have been discovered under the border. – dpa