2 killed as helicopter crashes into Colorado River

LOMA, Colorado (AP) — Authorities say two people are dead after a helicopter crashed into a river in western Colorado.

Mesa County chief deputy coroner Victor Yahn tells The Associated Press that the two died in Saturday’s crash, but he didn’t have any other information.

Local media reports say the chopper crashed shortly after 6 p.m. MDT into the Colorado River near Loma.

Both The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction and Denver’s KUSA-TV report that authorities say at least two people were aboard.

Mesa County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Lisa McCammon tells the Denver Post that the helicopter took off from the Grand Junction Airport, about 20 miles southeast of the crash site.

First-responders told the Daily Sentinel that two fishermen saw the accident and pulled at least one victim from the wreckage.

FAA official Allen Kenitzer told KUSA the aircraft is as a Xenon Gyroplane.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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