New York Times Journalist And Kurdish Official Injured In Helicopter Crash Over Iraq

The helicopter was carrying aid for Iraqis that have fled ISIS militants.

UPDATED — 1:05pm ET:

A helicopter carrying aid to stranded Yazidi refugees in northern Iraq crashed on Tuesday, killing the pilot and injuring several others, including a veteran New York Times war reporter and a Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament.

Alissa J. Rubin, 56, currently Paris bureau chief for the Times, and Adam Ferguson, 35, a freelance photographer with the paper, were on board the crashed helicopter. Rubin had a concussion and broke two wrists, while Ferguson was not injured, the Times reported.

Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, issued the following statement:

Today Alissa J. Rubin, a correspondent for The New York Times and Adam Ferguson, a freelance photographer on assignment for The Times, were injured when an Iraqi military helicopter carrying aid to stranded refugees crashed in northern Iraq. They have been airlifted out of the region in order to receive medical care. Alissa is a close friend and one of our most esteemed journalists. Our thoughts and prayers are with both Alissa and Adam.

Also on board the helicopter was Vian Dakhil, a Yezidi member of Iraq's parliament, who last week gave an emotional plea for the international community to help the Yazidi.

The helicopter belonged to Iraqi Kurdistan's semi-autonomous government and had delivered the aid shortly before crashing, the New York Times reported. Twenty Yazidi refugees were also on board the flight and injured, according to Rudaw, a Kurdish news site.

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