Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel has identified six military personnel who are missing after an Israeli helicopter crashed in Romania Monday during a joint military exercise.
According to Israel Defense Forces, the Israelis included: Lt. Col. Avner Goldman, Lt. Col. Daniel Shipenbauer, Maj. Yahel Keshet, Maj. Lior Shai, Lt. Nir Lakrif and Sgt. 1st Class Oren Cohen. IDF said the aircraft was carrying four pilots, two mechanics and a member of the Romanian Air Force.
The Israeli CH-53 helicopter went down about 3:20 p.m. (8:20 a.m. ET) Monday, the Romanian Defense ministry said in a statement. Search-and-rescue operations began immediately, using a Romanian medical helicopter and two Israeli helicopters, the statement said.
The wreckage was found a few hours later in the Fundata-Zarnesti area, near Brasov in central Romania, the defense ministry said. The crash site was in a remote area at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters (about 6,560 feet) in the mountains, according to the ministry. Fog prevented helicopters from flying to the site Monday night.
CNN
