Source : Xinhua
SANAA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A Yemeni military helicopter was shot by gunfire while it was en route from the capital Sanaa to the southern province of al- Bayda on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.
The chopper was carrying members of a national dialogue conference who are on field visits to al-Bayda.
Yemen launched the reconciliation dialogue between political parties in March, which is scheduled to run for six months to resolve prolonged political crisis, draft a new constitution and prepare for general elections in February 2014. The dialogue is part of a UN-backed power transfer deal that eased former President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power in 2012 following a yearlong of mass uprising.
"Three gunshots hit the helicopter in Radda town of al-Bayda but caused no technical fault. The plane landed properly in the province as the damage was repaired before it continues its journey," the ministry said in a statement on its website, citing an unnamed spokesman of the Air Force.
The ministry did not identify the gunmen.
Al-Bayda, about 200 km southeast of Sanaa, is one of a strong base for the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
The accident came two days after a Sukhoi jet exploded in the air and crashed in a residential neighborhood in Sanaa, killing its pilot. It was the third plane crash in six months in Sanaa.
Investigations into the plane crash were underway, said the officials.
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