The accident occurred a few hours after the match, as the helicopter ferried passengers from Freetown to Lungi airport to connect with a chartered flight bound for Togo.
An official at the airport told BBC Sport the helicopter was about to land when it developed 'mechanical problems' and its engines failed. The helicopter then crashed into the ground and immediately caught fire.
The two Ukrainian pilots jumped out of the helicopter before it hit the ground, but only one survived. The Togo players and officials of the team were the next group due to be ferried by the helicopter.
Joseph Muller, one of the journalists within the Hawks' travelling party, said: "We are shocked at the death of our colleagues, it's unbelievable. The football team won but it is not a victory for us, as we have lost lives from a group of united travellers." It has been revealed that the helicopter had recently been grounded by the Sierra Leone government for safety reasons, and only resumed service a few months ago. The Vice president of Sierra-Leone, Solomon Berewa has visited the Togolese team in Freetown to express their condolence message on behalf of his people. Meanwhile, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has ordered an inquiry into the cause of a stampede that killed 12 supporters after an African Cup of Nations game.
Mwanawasa said he was saddened by the deaths after the game against Congo.
He has also asked authorities to immediately put in place measures to prevent similar problems in the future. "The president has called for an enquiry to establish the cause of the accident," Mwanawasa's spokesman John Musukuma told state television. The stampede on Saturday evening left 46 others wounded at the Chililabombwe stadium where Zambia beat Congo 3-0 in an African Nations Cup qualifier. Twelve people were still being treated in hospital while the rest have been discharged after treatment, Sports Minister Gabriel Namulambe said in a statement.
"Those who are admitted are in a stable condition," Namulambe added. Preliminary investigations indicated that the accident had been caused by a group of supporters outside the stadium who attempted to gain entry when the match had finished, said the minister.
(BBC)
