Two die in helicopter crash after police chase in Malaga province

TWO people have died as their helicopter crashed in Cortes de la Frontera, Costa del Sol, while reportedly trying to escape from the Guardia Civil.

The Guardia Civil helicopter took chase after detecting an unauthorised craft in the early hours of the morning, suspecting drugs were on board.

Yet the police suddenly lost sight of the helicopter and returned to base, reporting the disappearance to the Service Operations Centre (COS) which located the exact coordinates where the craft disappeared.

The next morning in daylight Guardia Civil patrols were sent to search the area, known as El Colmenar or Estacion de Gaucin, in Cortes de la Frontera near the Malaga-Cadiz dividing line.

The helicopter was found just before El Colmenar on land which was difficult to access, near a damaged electrical pylon.

The evidence suggests that the pilot crashed into the pylon while trying to get away from the Guardia Civil helicopter.

Work began to recover the bodies of the two people, one reported to be Spanish and the other from abroad, while policemen collected more than 30 packages of hashish from the surrounding area, suggesting that the helicopter was carrying almost a tonne of the drug.