Six killed in Angola helicopter crash

Six people were killed after a helicopter chartered by American oil giant Chevron crashed off the coast of Angola, security forces confirmed Tuesday.

The accident happened Monday night near the oil-rich province of Cabinda, captain Armando Nzawisa of the Angolan Armed Forces, who is heading the rescue operation, told AFP.

Four Angolans and two foreigners were killed.

"The helicopter crashed in bad weather en route to a Chevron platform," Nzawisa said.

The bodies of the four Angolans have been recovered but search operations for the two foreigners was still underway, he added.

Of the six people killed, five were Chevron employees, while the pilot was from Angolan company Heli Malongo.

The helicopter was used as a shuttle between oil platforms and Chevron's onshore facilities in Cabinda, reported public broadcaster TPA, citing a source at the oil company.

Angola's Cabinda province is an enclave that borders the Republic of Congo to the north, and is separated from the rest of Angola to the south by a sliver of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The province produces 60 percent of Angola's oil, making the country Africa's top oil producer.

str-bed/kvs/bgs/gw