Argentine lawmaker dies in chopper crash

An Argentine lawmaker was killed and four others were injured, including the governor of the western province of San Juan, Jose Luis Gioja, when the helicopter in which they were travelling crashed shortly after take-off. Margarita Ferra de Bartol, 76, a legislator and member of the governing Front for Victory party who was seeking to retain her seat in elections scheduled for 27 October, died of her injuries, San Juan's deputy governor Jose Unac said. Gioja, 64, underwent emergency surgery on Friday to control an abdominal haemorrhage and is listed in serious condition.

‘His condition is serious. He suffered multiple trauma. It's affecting his lungs because he has a bilateral pulmonary contusion,’ the deputy director of the intensive care unit at San Juan's Rawson Hospital, Marta Torrado, told reporters. The governor's personal secretary, Hector Perez, also was listed in serious condition, while lawmaker Daniel Tomas and the helicopter's pilot sustained less severe injuries. Shortly after lift-off in the western town of San Agustin, a strong gust of wind caused the helicopter to collide with some power lines and then plunge to the ground, according to  witnesses interviewed by local media.

The accident occurred when Gioja and the two ruling- party candidates were returning to San Juan, the provincial capital, after a campaign event.