EINDHOVEN - The bodies of two soldiers who died when an army helicopter crashed in the Caribbean Sea arrived at Eindhoven Air Base last Saturday afternoon.
34-year-old aviator Christine Martens and 33-year-old tactical coordinator Erwin Warnies received a military tribute. Then their bodies were transferred to family.
In addition to family and relatives, the army top was also present at the ceremony: Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld, Undersecretary of Defense Barbara Visser and Chief of Defense Rob Bauer. Parliament President Khadija Arib was also present at the ceremony in Eindhoven.
“Soldiers who die in mission areas receive such a ceremony,” explains Sidney Plankman, Lieutenant Colonel and Defense Department spokesman. "On Friday, the bodies were waved goodbye in Willemstad."
During the ceremony, the coffins with the bodies are carried by eight fellow soldiers. An honorary hedge is also being formed, Plankman says. “A soldier carrying the sabers walks behind the coffin; a military sword. " A final military salute will be given at the funeral.
The last time a similar military tribute was performed was after a mortar accident in Mali in 2016, killing two soldiers.
It is still unclear what caused the NH90 attack helicopter of the two killed soldiers to plunge into the Caribbean Sea. The black box of the device has been salvaged. It is used to investigate the facts of the incident.
Apart from 34-year-old Martens and 33-year-old Warnies, the helicopter also carried two other soldiers who survived the crash. They were not in the cockpit, but in the large center section of the helicopter and did not suffer any physical injuries.