DHAKA: A Saudi prince has been killed when the helicopter he along with some government officials was traveling in crashed near the border with war-torn Yemen.

Saudi state television reports that Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, the deputy governor of Asir province, and the government officials were killed on Sunday (November 05) in the helicopter crash some 70 miles from the kingdom’s southern border with Yemen.

The helicopter went down while the group was touring an area near the coast in Asir. The cause of the crash is unknown.

Prince Mansour bin Muqrin is the son of former crown prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz. The father was pushed aside by his half-brother King Salman a few months after he took the throne in 2015.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a ballistic missile, fired from Yemen, near Riyadh airport the day before.

Also this weekend, an anti-corruption purge targeted dozens of people, including 11 princes and four ministers, in a move seen to cement the power of the heir to the throne.

The anti-corruption body is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The group had been carrying out an aerial inspection of the region at the time.

BDST: 1005 HRS, NOV 06, 2017
EHJ