Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango said she and seven other people survived unharmed after their helicopter crashed just after takeoff on Thursday while they were campaigning for next month’s elections.
Zambia goes to the polls on August 13, with President Hakainde Hichilema expected to win a second term as head of the country, one of Africa’s top copper producers.
Nalumango, 71, told Diamond TV online that the helicopter came down as she and her team were leaving a campaign rally in the northeastern town of Nakonde. 
“After we lifted off, I don’t know whether it was a minute or two… and then we came down,” she said, showing no signs of injury.
“We were eight and all of us are fine,” she said. It was not clear what caused the crash, but the chopper was badly damaged, she said.
Nalumango had undergone a routine medical check after the crash and was discharged in good health, a government statement said. Pictures shared on social media showed the white air force helicopter on its side, having apparently crashed into a tree.
According to a press statement issued by the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the Zambia Air Force helicopter carrying the Vice President had an accident at take-off in Nakonde, Muchinga Province, during an official visit to the region.
The statement confirmed that the Vice President and all passengers and crew were safe and well, adding that she was taken to a nearby medical facility for a routine check as a standard precaution and had since been discharged in good health.
The government commended the flight crew and emergency responders for their professionalism and thanked the people of Nakonde for their swift assistance. It added that the relevant authorities would establish the circumstances of the incident in the normal way, and that the Vice President would continue with her programme of work.
