The World : 3 GIs Die in Panama Crash

A U.S. military helicopter crashed near the Panama Canal, killing all three American soldiers aboard, the U.S. Embassy said. “We don’t know why or how” the accident occurred, spokesman Terrence Kneebone said, adding that it “apparently was an accident.” The OH-58 helicopter and those aboard belonged to the 7th Light Infantry Division from Ft. Ord, Calif., Kneebone said. The names of the victims were withheld pending notification of their families. The division provided some of about 1,900 troops sent to the Central American nation after Panama’s nullification of the May 7 elections. When the helicopter crashed, it was serving as an escort for a military convoy transporting troops, Kneebone added.