Lionel Zinsou: Escaped unhurt in copter crash

Benin’s Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou walked away unharmed after the helicopter he was travelling in crash-landed in the north of the country on Saturday, his daughter said.

It was not immediately known why Zinsou’s helicopter made the forced landing in the town of Djougou, where he had been due to meet local people.

“My father is fine. There were no victims in the helicopter accident in Djougou,” Marie-Cecile Zinsou, who is also a member of her father’s communications team, wrote on her Twitter feed. “He is safe and sound as are all the other passengers.”

Mon père va bien. Il n'y a aucune victime de l'accident d'hélicoptère à Djougou. Merci pour vos messages

— Marie-Cécile Zinsou (@McZinsou) December 26, 2015

Zinsou, an economist and former investment banker, confirmed this month that he will stand for president as the candidate of the ruling Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) party in elections next year