Zimbabwean opposition leader, wife die in Mexico helicopter crash

Zimbabwean opposition leader, Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, have been reported dead in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, January 17, 2017 in Mexico.

According to a report by Business Insider, Bennett's death was made known to the public after a statement by the New Mexico State Police.

It was further reported that Bennett was confirmed dead a day after a helicopter carrying him and five others went down in a mountainous rural area of northern New Mexico.

Lt. Elizabeth Armijo confirmed the late Zimbabwean politician's death saying the crash killed five individuals and injured a sixth person aboard.

Reactions from Zimbabwe

The spokesman for the MDC-T opposition party in Zimbabwe, Obert Gutu has said the loss of Bennett was tragic.

The late Bennett won a parliamentary seat in a rural constituency despite being white, angering Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party.

Bennett, who was known and referred to as was known as "Pachedu," became popular amongst black Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change.

The Crash

According to reports, the helicopter went down about 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of the small city of Raton near the Colorado state line.

Local authorities received a 911 call from a victim of the crash who reported the incident, State Police said.

Also killed were: The helicopter's Pilot, Jamie Coleman Dodd, co-pilot Paul Cobb, and Charles Ryland Burnett.