26 August 2014 - UNMISS confirms that three crew members died today when one of the mission’s MI-8 helicopters crashed about 10 kilometres south of the Unity State capital Bentiu.

The helicopter, which was on a routine cargo flight from Wau in Western Bahr El Ghazal State to Bentiu, lost contact with UNMISS at 14:28 hours, a statement from the mission said.

A surviving crew member received treatment from the Médecins Sans Frontieres team in Bentiu, the statement added.

“I wish to convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a full and speedy recovery to the injured crew member,” said Toby Lanzer, the officer-in-charge of UNMISS.

The Mission is launching an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.