Islam Times - Saudi Prince, Govt. Officials Perish in Helicopter Crash near Yemen

Islam Times - A high-ranking Saudi Arabian prince has been killed in a helicopter crash close to country’s southern border with Yemen.

According to the kingdom’s al-Ekhbariya news channel, the deputy governor of the Asir province Prince Mansour bin Muqrin was killed in the crash on Sunday.

According to reports all 8 people on board, including number of other government officials, perished in the crash.

Muqrin formerly worked as an advisor at the court of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

Bin Muqrin was the son of Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, a former intelligence service director and a onetime crown prince of the kingdom. Prince Muqrin was removed as crown prince in April 2015 by his half-brother King Salman in favor of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a counterterrorism czar and interior minister.

Rescue teams were said to be at the scene to recover the remains. The incident comes amid Saudi-led daily bombardments of Yemen in an attempt to oust the popular Ansarullah movement.

Saudi Arabia and a coalition of its allies have been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Ansarullah movement and reinstate former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of the Riyadh regime. More than 13,000 people have been killed since the onset of the campaign.