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(Scroll down for video) A medical helicopter crashed and was engulfed in flames, killing 3 people on board, according to emergency workers in Iowa.
A nurse, a paramedic and a pilot died when the medical helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a field in northern Iowa.
No patients were on board the helicopter belonging to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, when it hit the ground, just north of Ventura in Cerro Gordo County around 9:00 p.m. Wednesday.
An eyewitness said that he had been surprised by the sound of the helicopter that was flying very low and he then saw a heck of an explosion near his home, which is less than a mile from the accident site.
"My wife and I were looking out the window and wondered what it was, and then the strange sounds went on for about a second or two. After that we saw a big fireball on the ground level," the
eyewitness said.
The hospital identified two of the victims as its employees. The two were nurse Shelly Lair-Langenbau and paramedic Russell Piehl.
Hospital President and CEO Dan Varnum said: “while both fulfilled important functions, they have played a greater role for our neighbors and friends."
The pilot was identified as Gene Grell. The helicopter was operated by a company of Lewisville, Texas, called Med-Trans Air Medical Transport.