Guatemalan leader laments death of top military chief

Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina on Wednesday lamented the death of one of the country's three top military commanders, National Defense Chief of Staff Gen. Rudy Israel Ortiz.

Ortiz and four other members of the military died earlier in the day when their helicopter crashed near Guatemala's border with Mexico.

"My sincerest condolences to the family and Guatemala's military on the tragic death of Gen. Rudy Israel Ortiz, National Defense Chief of Staff," the president posted via Twitter.

Ortiz had served in the armed forces for 31 years and was its third highest ranking officer, after the president, who holds the title of Commander General, and Defense Minister Gen. Manuel Lopez Ambrocio.

Perez Molina highlighted the general's dedication throughout his military career, saying it served to strengthen the armed forces.

The helicopter had been flying over the city of Nenton (372 km west of the capital Guatemala City), in the department of Huehuetenango, which borders Mexico, when it crashed, killing five passengers.

A Defense Ministry source said the other passengers included a general, a colonel who was piloting the plane, and two other officers. All died on impact.

Several drug cartels are known to operate in the area of the crash, though no cause for the crash has been given as yet.

According to Julio Dougherty, head of the local fire department, a specialized rescue team and military personnel were dispatched to the site to determine the cause of the accident.