A video shows the moment a firefighting helicopter crashed into the Douro River on Friday, an accident that resulted in the death of five military personnel from the GNR’s Emergency Protection and Rescue Unit, aged between 29 and 45.
The footage shows the aircraft falling helplessly into the river, with no apparent attempt at a water landing. The helicopter sinks immediately upon impact with the water.
The video, which lasts only a few seconds, was shared on the Instagram page of Operacionais.pt, who describe a “very violent” impact.
“Video of the terrible accident that took the lives of our UEPS warriors. As can be seen in the video, the impact was very violent. Peace to their souls,” reads the post.
The forest firefighting helicopter crashed into the Douro River around 12:50 PM on Friday, near the town of Samodães, Lamego. It was carrying a pilot and a team of five military personnel from the Emergency Protection and Rescue Unit (UEPC) who were returning from a fire in the municipality of Baião.
The pilot, the sole survivor, was rescued from the Douro River with injuries and transported to the hospital.
On Friday, the bodies of four GNR military personnel were located. The fifth was found on Saturday afternoon after intense searches in the area.
