Advertisement

Guatemala's senior military chief killed in helicopter crash

Guatemala's chief of the armed forces, Gen. Rudy Ortiz, died Wednesday in a helicopter crash near the border with Mexico.

By JC Finley
Gen. Rudy Ortiz, chief of Guatemala's armed forces. (Conferencia de las Fuerzas Armadas Centroamericanas)
Gen. Rudy Ortiz, chief of Guatemala's armed forces. (Conferencia de las Fuerzas Armadas Centroamericanas)

GUATEMALA CITY, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Gen. Rudy Ortiz, Guatemala's armed forces chief, died Wednesday when the helicopter he and four other military officials were traveling in crashed.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the helicopter lifted off at 9:25 a.m. local time. At some point, the craft altered its flight path because of bad weather before it crashed near the border with Mexico, "approximately two kilometers (1.2 miles) northeast of the village of El Aguacate."

Advertisement

It is unclear whether bad weather was a factor in the crash. An investigation is underway.

Ortiz had served in the military for 31 years. "His hard work and dedication during his military career served to strengthen the institution," President Perez Molina, a former army general, tweeted.

Latest Headlines