Jaramillo Killed in Crash

Agence France Presse, November 17, 1994
Copyright 1994 Agence France Presse
Agence France Presse
November 17, 1994 02:23 Eastern Time
SECTION: Domestic, non-Washington, general news item
LENGTH: 640 words
HEADLINE: Ecuador's top military chief dies in helicopter crash
DATELINE: QUITO, Nov 17
BODY:
Ecuador's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Miguel Iturralde Jaramillo, died Wednesday in a helicopter crash along with nine other people, defense ministry spokesman Alberto Molina said.
Eight people, including the pilot, survived the crash, which occurred in a jungle area near the border with Peru, where Jaramillo was inspecting army outposts along the border, Molina said.
The causes of the crash had not been determined, he added. It was the third air crash in six years claiming the lives of top military commanders.
In December 1992, Joint Chiefs of Staff chief Carlo Magno Andrade and several other generals were killed when their jet plane when coming in to land at Quito airoport. In June 1988, several top air force commanders died in another crash also near the capital.
General Iturralde was still alive when he was taken from the crash site to medical facilities at Shell Mera, in Pastaza province, where he later died from his injuries, a Radio Quito correspondent said.
The correspondent said the helicopter had managed to send a distress signal just before it crashed, adding that the weather was good in the region at the time.
Besides Iturralde, the 10 crash fatalities included army two lieutenants, two sergeants, a corporal, a soldier and three civilians, one of whom was a photographer, Molina said.
Listed among the seven injured were Army Intelligence chief, General Manuel Suarez, and Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Munoz, the helicopter pilot.
The co-pilot and an army capitain walked away from the crash unscathed, the defense ministry spokesman said.
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JEFE MILITAR...
Tambien fallecieron el sargento Anibal Guanga fotografo; el soldado Abel Espinoza, camarografo; el cabo Luiz Ona, mecanico de la nave; el sargento (r) Marco Gaybor, fotografo de la comandancia general y Kleber Recalde, un civil que hacia de camarografo de la comandancia general.
Entre los heridos figura el general Manuel Suarez, director de Inteligencia del Ejercito; el coronel Braule Jaramillo, comandante de la brigada de Pastaza;, el teniente coronel Patricio Haro, ayudante del comandante general; el teniente coronel Jaime Munoz, comandante del grupo aereo 44 que hacia de piloto de la nave.
Del accidente cuyos motivos no han sido aun esclarecidos, resultaron ilesos el capitan Ruben Basantes, copiloto; el capitan Serfil Aguirre, oficial de seguridad del comandante general.
Sin confirmar la identidad figuran dos civiles fallecidos que acompanaban al grupo militar, explico el coronel Molina.
La mayoria de las victimas y heridos fueron trasladados a esta capital y el presidente encargado, Alberto Dahik, suspendio una cena que mantenia con el vicepresidente boliviano y titular del Parlamento Andino, Victor Hugo Cardenas, para informarse de los pormenores del percance.
RJ/
AFP