Strange aircraft crash takes to vain search efforts

TIRANA, March 4 – First it was reported that a helicopter crashed in northern Albania.
Then it came out that was a useless effort and police said there was found no track at all of any wreckage.
At the beginning it was said it was not immediately clear whether the helicopter belonged to the NATO-led peacekeeping force in neighboring Kosova or how many people were on board.
KFOR denied any of its aircraft had crashed. The same was done from all NATO member countries later.
Albanian Defense Ministry said the helicopter did not belong to its military.
The Albanian military launched a search and rescue operation, sending three helicopters, including a medical team, to the rugged Jezerca Mountain area, about 300 kilometers north of Tirana.
After hours of work the Defense Ministry said there was no result from the search operation, which was continuing only with police forces. Fog had obliged helicopters to stop flying in the mountainous area.
The ministry statement explained that they had learnt for an SOS message from a center in Rome, Italy and they also were told by local authorities and residents in the area of a loud noise at the Jezerca Mountain.
“All information of the air force and neighboring countries, KFOR, show there has been no aircraft passing at this area,” said the statement, which also called the news of the electronic media of an alleged helicopter crash as “unofficial and unconfirmed.”
Local residents told police they saw an aircraft crash and heard an explosion afterward, adding that the mountainous area was covered by fog at the time.