Saudi Prince, other officials killed in helicopter crash

A Saudi Arabian Prince, Mansour bin Muqrin, has been killed along with several other officials in a helicopter crash the near the country’s border with Yemen, local media reported.
A helicopter, with a group of Saudi officials on an inspection trip, crashed in the Asir Region in the country’s southwest, reports said.
The prince was serving as deputy governor of the southern province of Asir.
He was a son of Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who briefly was Saudi Arabia’s crown prince from January to April 2015.
A search for the wreckage of the aircraft is under way at the site of the crash, SaudiNews50 reported, posting a video of the ongoing recovery efforts.
Eight people were on board the helicopter, including the Undersecretary and the Secretary of the Asir Region, Al-Arabiya reported, citing sources.
None are believed to have survived the crash.
The incident occurred as the officials were on their way back from an inspection trip to al-Saida al-Sawalha Center in the municipality of Mahail Asir, it added.
A video, believed to be the last one of Prince Mansour alive, was released by the channel, showing him and accompanying officials boarding the helicopter.
Asir Region is located in the southwest of the country, bordering Yemen.
The area has seen a number of cross-border retaliatory attacks from Yemen in recent months, reportedly leading to casualties among Saudi troops.
Saudi Arabia has been embroiled in the Yemeni conflict since March 2015 on behalf of ousted Yemeni President Mansour Hadi and against the Shi’ite Houthi rebels.
. rt.com.