Madagascar police minister 'swims for 12 hours' after helicopter crashes at sea

A Madagascar police minister claims he had to swim for 12 hours after a helicopter crashed at sea during a rescue mission.

The team was scouting the area in the north-eastern part of the country where a passenger boat had sunk with at least 39 people dying in the accident, officials said on Tuesday.

Police Minister Serge Gelle survived the crash with two other ministers and said “it’s not my time to die” as he was carried on a stretcher.

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