Ukraine Interior Minister, 16 Others Die As Plane Crashes

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, World News Wednesday, January 18th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Sixteen people, including two children and Ukraine’s interior minister, have been declared dead after a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten outside the capital Kyiv, officials said on Wednesday.

“In total, 16 people are currently known to have died,” the head of national police, Igor Klymenko, said. Among those who died are several top officials of the interior ministry including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, Klymenko said.

In a video that has since circulated online following the crash, cries could be heard at the scene which was consumed by fire.

As of the time of filing this report, there were no immediate details on the cause of the crash.

The African Examiner writes that Monastyrsky, a 42-year-old father of two, was appointed interior minister in 2021.