Ethiopia's Defense Ministry Denies Helicopter Crash Reports in Bahir Dar as Misleading

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The Ethiopian Ministry of Defense on Sunday refuted claims circulating on social media of a military helicopter crash in Bahir Dar, labeling the reports as "misleading and baseless," in a statement released to the public.

The military activities in question, the Ministry clarified, were part of a routine training exercise by the Western Air Command, conducted on November 16.

The drills required civilian flights to be temporarily halted to secure the airspace for safety reasons. The Ministry assured that "no helicopter was harmed or faced any mishap during these operations."

Furthermore, the ministry confirmed the safe return of all participating aircraft to their bases and the successful completion of the training goals."No helicopter has been damaged, nor has any incident occurred during these training operations," the statement emphasized.

The Ministry went on to assure that all aircraft involved in the training returned to base safely, and all mission objectives were met successfully. Following the exercises, Bahir Dar airport has returned to regular civilian operations.

The Ministry emphasized the importance of obtaining information from credible sources rather than relying on social media rumors.

GAROWE ONLINE