A Sudanese aid worker with Irish aid agency Goal was killed yesterday in the troubled Darfur region when a United Nations emergency evacuation helicopter crash-landed, shortly after take-off.
Hadja Hamid (25) was one of a number of Sudanese staff employed by Goal.
She had been working with the agency for the past six months, as a nutritionist on Goal's supplementary feeding programme.
The accident occurred in Jebel Mara in western Darfur at 10.40am Irish time, when the helicopter was airlifting aid workers to safety, following an upsurge in violence in recent days. It is understood Ms Hamid was unable to open her seat-belt when the aircraft caught fire after crashing into a building.
Expressing his condolences and sorrow on behalf of the organisation, Goal chief executive John O'Shea said, "There should be a UN force to protect the local people and aid workers."