PRAGUE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter crashed and caught fire in Slavonov, eastern Bohemia of the Czech Republic, Friday morning, killing two people.
The helicopter, Enstrom 480, was conducting a training flight when the crash happened, said the website of aviation firm DSA, which operates the helicopter. It added that two crewmen were onboard.
"At this point we have no further information on the circumstances of the air disaster and we work closely with the competent authorities to identify the causes of the accident," the firm said on its website.
The victims were a foreign pilot who was undergoing training and a Czech instructor from the DSA, according to local media reports.
Local people said the helicopter had crashed in the middle of a field about 200 meters from the nearest residential house in the village.
"When the firefighters came to the incident, the helicopter was burning. Locals were trying to extinguish the fire by fire extinguishers, but it was not enough," firefighters spokeswoman Martina Gotzova was quoted as saying.
"The firefighters eventually extinguished the fire by a high-pressure stream of water," Gotzova said.
Enstrom 480, produced by the U.S. Enstrom Helicopter, is a one-engine, four-seat helicopter. It is used for the transport of passengers, pilot training, filming and observer flights.
