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Alissa J. Rubin, the New York Times' Paris bureau chief and a former LA Times foreign correspondent, was injured today in the crash of an aid helicopter in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. The pilot was the only fatality. Rubin reportedly suffered a concussion, possibly broken ribs and at least one broken wrist. (That's a little different from the NYT's original report.) Freelance photographer Adam Ferguson, on assignment with Rubin, was originally described as uninjured. NYT Executive Editor Dean Baquet posted an update this morning:
Today Alissa J. Rubin, a correspondent for The New York Times and Adam Ferguson, a freelance photographer on assignment for The Times, were injured when an Iraqi military helicopter carrying aid to stranded refugees crashed in northern Iraq. They have been airlifted out of the region in order to receive medical care. Alissa is a close friend and one of our most esteemed journalists. Our thoughts and prayers are with both Alissa and Adam.
The military helicopter had dropped off aid and picked up stranded Yazidi refugees in the Sinjar mountains of northern Iraq. The craft took off then the pilot may have lost control and the helicopter crashed, landing upside down.
