6 Mar 2007

Australia recovers body of soldier killed in crash off Fiji

2:59 pm on 6 March 2007

Australian Defence experts have recovered the body of SAS trooper Joshua Porter, who was one of two men killed when a helicopter crashed off Fiji last November.

The helicopter was operating from HMAS Kanimbla, which was part of an Australian group on stand-by to evacuate Australians from Fiji ahead of the military coup.

The Australian Defence Force used US Navy equipment to find the helicopter, which sank in deep water off Fiji.

The defence minister, Brendan Nelson, says the soldier's body will be taken to Noumea and then flown back to Australia once the helicopter's wreckage is also recovered.