Three pilots were killed when a helicopter belonging to the Algerian Coast Guard crashed early on Wednesday morning in the open sea near the Algerian capital. The pilots were on a reconnaissance flight off the east coast of the Algerian state of Tipaza, 70 kilometres west of the capital Algiers. According to local newspaper <em>Al Khobar</em>, the crash was captured on camera by fishermen, who saw the helicopter plunge straight into the sea. The fishermen then rushed to the site of the crash to search for survivors. A statement by the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the three pilots on board the aircraft were Lt Col Kharousa Noureddine, Lt Col Al Wafi Muhammad Al Amin, and Lt Bouzaida Noureddine. The body of one of the three pilots was recovered shortly after the accident, while the bodies of the other two were recovered after a search operation by Algerian civil defence and the coastguard.
