Latin America A Venezuelan Super Puma military helicopter usually used to transport Bolivian President Evo Morales during his frequent trips to the provinces crashed last Sunday, killing four Venezuelan military officers and one Bolivian crew member, Bolivian Defense Minister Walker San Miguel said Monday.

The accident occurred mid-afternoon Sunday in the central district of  Cochabamba, a couple of hours after President Morales used the same Super Puma helicopter in a trip through the Western plateau, San Miguel said in a phone interview with official radio network Patria Nueva.

"President Morales used the same helicopter on Sunday when he was traveling from the Huanuni tin mine to Oruro. We are deeply concerned because, according to the first report of a witness, the helicopter exploded when reaching land," the Defense Minister said, as Reuters reported from Bolivia.