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Military ends mission to recover Cyclone helicopter crash wreckage, remains

Jun 3, 2020 | 11:28 AM

HALIFAX — The Canadian Armed Forces has ended its mission to recover the wreckage of the Cyclone helicopter that crashed off the coast of Greece in April.

Maritime Component commander Rear-Admiral Craig Baines says the remains of some of the service members who were on board when the helicopter went down were recovered.

They will be returned to Canada this weekend for identification.

Baines says wreckage from the helicopter was also recovered, with the focus on debris that flight-safety investigators believed could help determine the cause of the crash.

Baines says the military decided not to raise some larger parts of the Cyclone because they were not considered important to the investigation and could damage the U.S. Navy drone involved in the recovery effort.

The helicopter went down on April 29 within sight of the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton at the end of a NATO training mission.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2020.

The Canadian Press