Pilot, doctor killed in Norway helicopter crash

A pilot and a doctor were killed on Tuesday when a medical helicopter with three people on board crashed on its way to the scene of a road traffic accident near Hole in the central Norwegian county of Buskerud. The police in northern Buskerud confirmed that the two died immediately at the spot, the Norwegian-language newspaper Aftenposten reported. The two were the 52-year-old pilot Bjorn Nergaard and the 38-year-old anesthesiologist Anders Rostrup Nakstad. The third person, who was seriously injured, has been taken to hospital in Oslo, capital of Norway, from the site near Sollihoegda. The 51-year-old man sustained extensive injuries including multiple fractures, according to the report. The Eurocopter EC 135 P2 helicopter, which was staffed with a pilot, a rescuer and a doctor, plunged from a relatively low height when it almost reached the spot near the Soensterud Tunnel on the E16 expressway, where a truck had overturned half an hour earlier. The Droebak-based Norwegian Air Ambulance (NAA), which the helicopter belongs to, has set up a crisis team after the incident and has confirmed the death of the two, saying that their next of kin have been notified of the sad news. Both military and civilian emergency services were mobilized for rescue operation after the crash occurred. The NAA said the rescuer and pilot were its employees while the doctor was employed by health authorities. The Swedish driver of the ill-fated truck, who was seriously injured when the truck overturned, has also been moved to hospital near Oslo. Following the double incidents, the road was closed. "This is a sad day for Norwegian health service. We have lost skilled personnel, on the way to help others," Norwegian Health Minister Bent Hoeie said, demanding a thorough investigation into the crash. The northern Buskerud police district was informed of the truck accident at 10:26 a.m. (0926 GMT) on Tuesday and 24 minutes later, it received a report on the helicopter crash. Witnesses said they saw the helicopter hit a power line before it went down, according to Norwegian media. Police confirmed the helicopter's coming into contact with the high-voltage power lines, which were found fallen loose on the ground. Syver Leirstad, chief executive officer of the NAA, said they did not know if the power lines were marked on the map they used.