Garang crash chopper 'healthy' - investigator

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Moscow - A helicopter crash that killed Sudan Vice-President John Garang in July did not appear to have been caused by any technical malfunction aboard the Russian-built military aircraft, a top expert involved in the crash investigation told AFP in Moscow on Friday.

"There was no technical problem with the helicopter itself," said Rudolf Temurazov, director of technical security for the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee of the 12-nation Commonwealth of Independent States.

"The helicopter was 'healthy'," he said.

Garang and 13 other people died on July 30 when the Ugandan presidential Mi-172 helicopter taking them back to southern Sudan from neighboring Uganda crashed.

IOL