East Timor: two UN peacekeepers die in helicopter crash
3 October -- Two United Nations peacekeepers - both from Portugal - were killed today in a helicopter crash south-west of East Timor's capital Dili, according to the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).
Six other passengers -- three Portuguese troops, the pilot, a mechanic and a soldier -- sustained slight injuries and were flown to the UN Military Hospital in Dili for treatment. The helicopter was travelling near Alas, in Same district, when it crashed at 5:30 pm local time.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, but an investigation is under way, UNTAET said.
In other news, the 100,000 inhabitants of East Timor's Bacau district will soon be provided with basic health services under a new health scheme, UNTAET announced today.
The aim of the plan, presented to the population on 27 September, is to provide 90 per cent of the community with a health facility and services within a two-hour walk. This is the fourth district in East Timor to have a formal health plan, UNTAET said.
Meanwhile, the second major shipment of pharmaceutical supplies - worth $247,000 and containing 46 tonnes of standard drugs - will arrive in Baucau on Thursday, to be stocked at the East Timor Central Pharmacy.
