Washington, 18 September 1997 (RFE/RL) - The U.S. State Department says the crash of a United Nations helicopter in Bosnia yesterday was clearly an accident.
Spokesman James Rubin told reporters "the U.S. has no reason to believe the crash was anything but an accident."
He said it is a very sad day and that the accident in which a dozen people died underscores the dangers that diplomats, refugee workers and others face in Bosnia.
Rubin said Americans were among those on board but gave no other details.
The last Americans to die in a plane crash in the region were members of a delegation of businessmen and trade officials led by U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. All 19 people on board died when their plane struck a mountain near Dubrovnik in Croatia in April of 1996.