SAN SALVADOR, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Salvadoran Air Force helicopter crashed on Sunday evening, killing nine people, including National Civil Police Director Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said on Monday.

Bukele said in a statement on social media platform X that the helicopter went down in La Union Province while on a mission near the El Salvador-Honduras border.

Among the nine casualties were the national police chief, other police officers, crew members, a journalist, and a criminal suspect.

Aboard the helicopter was Manuel Coto, a former bank director, who had been accused of involvement in the embezzlement of 35 million U.S. dollars from a credit union in El Salvador, local media reported.

Bukele declared a three-day national mourning period.

He said the incident was not merely an "accident" and called for a thorough investigation into the cause, pledging that those responsible would be held accountable. Bukele added that El Salvador would seek international assistance in the investigation. Enditem

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