Benin Prime Minister in copter crash, escapes unhurt

Benin’s Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou walked away unharmed after the helicopter he was travelling in crash-landed in the north of the country on Saturday, his daughter said.

It was not immediately known why Zinsou’s helicopter made the forced landing in the town of Djougou, where he had been due to meet local people.

“My father is fine. There were no victims in the helicopter accident in Djougou,” Marie-Cecile Zinsou, who is also a member of her father’s communications team, wrote on her Twitter feed. “He is safe and sound as are all the other passengers.”

Zinsou, an economist and former investment banker, confirmed this month that he will stand for president as the candidate of the ruling Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) party in elections next year.