JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Netcare 911 helicopter crashed in Bergville in the province of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) on Thursday, killing five people on board, the company's Managing Director Craig Grindell said.
"We are profoundly saddened, and our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of our colleagues aboard Netcare 1 air ambulance, which was carrying a pilot and four health-care personnel when it crashed near Bergville," he said.
"The whole of Netcare falls silent as we bow our heads in tribute, respect, love and memory of our fallen colleagues and front-line heroes who have died in the line of duty," said Dr Richard Friedland, chief executive officer of Netcare.
According to Netcare, the helicopter crashed on its way to collect patients in KZN.
The details of the crash were still unclear, according to Grindell.
Eye witnesses said that the helicopter exploded before crashing. A video of the helicopter on fire at the scene of the accident was posted on social media Twitter on late Thursday afternoon. Enditem
