Half burned mobile phone found at helicopter crash site

DEFENCE Minister Socratis Hasikos yesterday confirmed a mobile phone had been found near the site of the helicopter crash which killed the Commander of the National Guard and four other officers near Paphos on July 10.

The phone was found by a shepherd near the ravine where the helicopter crashed just outside the village of Kouklia.

Hasikos said the authorities had not yet determined who the owner of the phone was.

“It is possible that it belongs to a stranger,” he said.

He added that the fact that it had been found near the crash site did not necessarily mean that it belonged to one of the helicopter’s passengers.

Hasikos did reveal, however, that the phone was half burnt, but was quick to add the find was not considered very important. He did not rule out more personal items emerging from the area.

The Defence Minister said that four other mobile phones had been found at the site.

The finding of the mobile 50 days after the crash has raised questions concerning the efficiency of the search in the area for clues regarding the accident.

An investigation into the accident has concluded it was caused by a fire, though the causes of the fire could not be determined by the experts.

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