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Madagascar Minister Swims 12 Hours to Shore After Helicopter Crash
The 57-year-old Serge Gelle used one of the chopper’s seats as a flotation device to get back to land.
22 Dec 2021, 10:23 PM IST 
A swimming sign on a deserted beach. [Photographer: Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg]
(Bloomberg) -- Madagascar’s secretary of state for police swam 12 hours to shore after ejecting from a helicopter that crashed off the Indian Ocean island nation’s coast, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 57-year-old Serge Gelle used one of the chopper’s seats as a flotation device to get back to land, the news agency said, citing police and port authorities. A fellow policeman also survived the crash, which occurred while they were flying to inspect a shipwreck, AFP said.
A video posted by Madagascar’s defense ministry showed Gelle recovering on a deck chair, still wearing his camouflage uniform.
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