HARRISON COUNTY, Miss.–A helicopter crash killed two people and injured another Monday afternoon about 3 near Saucier, in Harrison County. The chopper was being used to monitor a controlled burn by the U.S. Forest Service at the DeSoto National Forest.
The people involved in the crash were contract workers, said representatives of the Forest Service. Autopsies on the two people killed were expected to be performed at the state crime lab Tuesday.
The person who was hurt in the crash was flown to a hospital in Mobile with severe trauma, said Fire Marshal Pat Sullivan, who released a statement Monday evening.
Exactly what caused the crash was still unclear. The National Transportation and Safety Administration was expected to be on the scene today to investigate. Even though preliminary findings may be released, it sometimes takes up to six months for complete information from NTSA investigators when a crash happens.
No names were released Monday.
