Gift package included UH-1H helicopters to aid Paraguay in fight against terrorist activities, drug smuggling

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After one of the two UH-1H helicopters Taiwan gifted to Paraguay crashed on Nov. 21, Taiwanese Ambassador to Paraguay Diego Chou (周麟) insisted that the vehicles had been in fair condition when they were delivered to the South American ally, Liberty Times reported on Monday (Nov. 25).

Taiwan sent a gift package, which included the two UH-1H helicopters and 30 Hummer vehicles, to Paraguay in August to help the country fight against terrorist activities and drug smuggling, the news outlet reported. However, on the afternoon of Nov. 21, one of the helicopters crashed into a factory in Pedro Juan Caballero, a city in east Paraguay on the Brazilian border.

The crash ignited fires in at least five buildings and injured 12 crew members and five people on the ground, the report said, adding that fortunately, no one was killed.

According to the Paraguayan military, the helicopter had been maintained routinely. It said an initial study indicated the crash was caused by engine malfunction and asked the Taiwanese embassy for original documents on the helicopter to investigate whether the accident was related to aircraft aging or flawed parts, according to the report.    [FULL  STORY]