Lionel Zinsou: Benin PM Survives Helicopter Crash in Djougou

Benin’s PM Lionel Zinsou walked away unscathed after the helicopter in which he was traveling crashed, his daughter said.

It is unclear why the helicopter carrying Lionel Zinsou crash-landed at a stadium in the country’s northwest.

“My father is fine. There were no victims in the helicopter accident in Djougou,” Marie-Cecile Zinsou tweeted.

Earlier this month, Lionel Zinsou confirmed he would run as a candidate in Benin’s 2016 presidential elections.

The helicopter crashed while landing at a stadium in the city of Djougou, a spokesman for Benin’s interior ministry Leonce Houngbadji told the AFP news agency.

He said no-one in the helicopter was hurt.

Lionel Zinsou, a former private-equity executive, was appointed prime minister of Benin in June.

He has said he will run for president in February 2016 election as a candidate of the ruling Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) party.

Lionel Zinsou’s announcement put an end to speculation Benin’s president Thomas Boni Yayi was seeking a third term, Reuters reported in early December.