Helicopter crashes during mountain rescue bid

A helicopter crashed while trying to rescue survivors of a US climbing accident in which three mountaineers died.

Two crew members were left seriously injured while trying to rescue the six survivors of the climbing party.

Two of the climbers were also seriously injured when the nine-strong group fell into a crevasse on the highest mountain in Oregon.

Rescue efforts took a dramatic turn when a helicopter trying to reach the survivors crashed nearby, tumbling down the snowy mountainside.

The four crew members escaped the battered helicopter, but at least two are seriously injured.

The two injured climbers were transported to a hospital by early afternoon. Two of the climbers who fell had minor injuries, and other rescue helicopters are trying to take them off the mountain.

The Pave Hawk had just dropped off a rescuer and equipment above the crevasse on Mount Hood when it started to lose altitude and fall away from the ridge.

Its refuelling probe jutted into the snow, and the helicopter careened sideways down the mountain. Its rotor blades sheared off, and the helicopter rolled about 1,000ft before coming to a rest at the base of Crater Rock.

Two groups of climbers were about 800ft from the 11,240ft summit when they fell into the crevasse at around 2pm Irish time yesterday. A paramedic with the group used his mobile phone to call for help.

Rescuers set out on foot, in helicopters and in snow vehicles to reach the injured climbers. Three of the climbers died when they fell, says Angela Blanchard, spokeswoman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Department.