Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 19 February 2018

Copter on quake mission flips in Mexico, killing 13 Puerto Rico to slash

energy reserves
MARK STEVENSON
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A mili- amid cash shortfall
tary helicopter carrying of-
ficials who were assessing By DANICA COTO
damage from a powerful Associated Press
earthquake flipped as it SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico
was attempting to land in (AP) — Puerto Rico's power
southern Mexico, crashing company said Sunday that
on top of people who had it will reduce its operat-
fled their homes and were ing reserve to save money
spending the night outside. amid a cash shortfall as
Thirteen people were killed officials warned the move
— the only known fatalities could destabilize the U.S.
related to the quake — territory's fragile electrical
and 16 were injured. grid.
No one aboard the he- William Rios, director of
licopter, including Inte- generation at Puerto Rico's
rior Secretary Alfonso Na- Electric Power Authority,
varrete and Oaxaca Gov. said a plan to reduce its
Alejandro Murat, was seri- reserve by 450 megawatts
ously hurt. Jorge Morales, will not affect customers
a local reporter who was and will help save $9 mil-
aboard the helicopter A soldier guards a downed helicopter in Santiago Jimitepec, Oaxaca state, Mexico, Saturday, lion a month.
when it crashed Friday Feb. 17, 2018. The military helicopter carrying officials assessing damage from the Friday's earth Public Affairs Secretary
night, described harrowing quake crashed killing 13 people and injuring 15, all of them on the ground. Ramon Rosario said that
moments as the pilot lost (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez) while the measure is
control and the helicopter needed, it could affect a
attempted to touch down makes when it scrapes the after the first, had caused details. Navarrete and the grid still experiencing fre-
in a swirl of dust in Jamilte- earth." people to flee their homes defense department said quent blackouts as nearly
pec, a city in Oaxaca state Navarrete told local media for fear they would col- they regretted the loss of 250,000 customers remain
close to the epicenter of that "as the army helicop- lapse. life. The quake damaged without power more than
the earthquake that struck ter we were travelling in The Oaxaca state prosecu- about 50 homes in Jamilt- five months after Hurricane
earlier Friday. tried to land, the pilot lost tor's office said in a state- epec, as well as the town Maria. The Category 4
"The moment the helicop- control, the helicopter fell ment that five women, four hall and church, according storm destroyed two-thirds
ter touched down it lost and flipped." men and three children to the Interior Department. of the power distribution
control, it slid — like it skid- A state government official were killed at the crash site It also rocked buildings in system and caused the
ded — and it hit some ve- who was not authorized to and another person died Mexico City, about 240 longest blackout in U.S. his-
hicles that were parked be quoted by name said later at a hospital. miles northwest, and many tory.
alongside the area that the chopper crashed into a The Defense Department other parts of the country. The measure to reduce the
had been defined for the group of people who had said the Blackhawk heli- Earlier this month, an in- operating reserve comes
landing," Morales told a been spending the night copter crashed as it was telligence agent from just days after a federal
Mexican television news outside after the 7.2 mag- preparing to land in a va- an agency overseen by judge rejected a $1 billion
program. "In that moment, nitude earthquake hit the cant lot. The department Navarrete’s department loan request for Puerto Ri-
you couldn't see anything, area. Aftershocks, includ- said the victims had been was caught tailing an co's power company, say-
nothing else was heard ing one of 5.8 magnitude waiting for the helicopter, opposition presidential ing there was not sufficient
beside the sound that iron that struck about an hour but did not provide more candidate.q evidence to prove the
power company needed
the money. Government
Bolivia blames both Carnival blasts on dynamite officials and a federal
control overseeing Puerto
Rico's finances on Friday
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Boliv- still trying to determine who on the cart of a street food jured about 60 people. lowered their request to
ian authorities said Sunday planted the explosives in vendor, who was killed Romero said that police $300 million per the judge's
that both of the explosions the southern city of Oruro, along with four members of also have found a small instruction but warned that
that killed 12 people during and why. her family and three other piece of dynamite in a ho- would only allow the com-
recent Carnival celebra- He said both the Feb. 10 people. tel bathroom in the city, pany to operate until late
tions were caused by dy- and Feb. 13 explosions The second explosion oc- which is about 120 miles March.
namite, not exploding gas were caused by 3 kilograms curred only a few yards (190 kilometers) south of "The power company's fis-
canisters as initially thought. (6.5 pounds) of dynamite. (meters) away three days the capital, La Paz. It's a cal situation is real and we
Interior Minister Carlos The first, he said, was plant- later, killing four people. mining area where dyna- have to deal with it now,"
Romero said officials are ed near the gas canister Together, the explosions in- mite is widely available. q Rosario said. q