LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Six people were killed and one was seriously injured on Sunday when two medical helicopters collided on their way to a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona, air officials said.
The helicopters crashed near Flagstaff at about 3.45 p.m.PDT (11:45 p.m. British time), said Ian Gregor, a spokesmanwith the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles.
Preliminary reports indicated at least one patient wasamong the three people killed in a helicopter operated by AirMethods Corp, Gregor said. The other four fatalities, as wellas the injury, occurred aboard a helicopter operated by ClassicHelicopter of Utah, he added.
A spokesman for the Flagstaff Police Dept. said two rescueworkers were slightly injured in a secondary blast as one ofthe helicopters on the ground exploded.
"They were treated for minor burns injuries and werereleased from the hospital in good condition," Sergeant TomBoughner told Reuters by telephone from the crash site.
Boughner said the two helicopters slammed into a hillsidecovered with ponderosa pines, leaving a large field ofscattered debris and sparking a fire.
The blaze torched about 10 to 15 acres (4 to 6 hectares),but was quickly contained.
Flagstaff lies about 75 miles (120 km) south of the GrandCanyon National Park, one of the largest tourist draws in theUnited States, which attracts some 5 million visitors a year.
Four people were killed in a similar accident in Arizonalast year, when two news television helicopters collided whilefollowing a car chase in Phoenix.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman. Additional reporting by TimGaynor in Arizona; editing by Philip Barbara)
