Canada briefing on search for NATO helicopter

One person is dead and five are missing after a military helicopter operating off a Canadian frigate during a NATO exercise crashed into the sea between Greece and Italy, Canadian officials said Thursday.

One body was found and five others aboard the aircraft are missing.

The Cyclone helicopter was deployed on board the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton and was participating in a NATO training exercise off the coast of Greece when the incident occurred, according to the Canadian Armed Forces.

Multiple NATO countries are in an ongoing search-and-rescue operation in the Ionian Sea, hoping to find the five others.

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s Cyclone helicopters carry a crew of four, including two pilots, a tactical operator and a sensor operator with space for several passengers.

They are primarily based on naval vessels and used for hunting submarines, surveillance and search and rescue.

(Representative Image)