Accident halts Philippine, Japan anti-piracy drill

Two Filipino coast guardsmen fell 20 feet from a helicopter to the deck of a ship during anti-piracy drills Thursday, injuring themselves and halting the exercise, officials said.

Their colleagues scrambled to help the men, who were writhing in pain, according to a TV footage shown by GMA Network.

One of the guards fractured a leg bone while the other broke his ankle. They were taken to a Manila hospital, coast guard spokesman Arman Balilo said.

"We're not sure what triggered the accident," Balilo said, adding an investigation was under way.

The footage seemed to show that the helicopters may not have hovered close enough to the ship to allow the men to comfortably repel down the ropes they were hanging from. The two men fell about 20 feet (6 meters).

The accident halted the drill, during which dozens of Japanese and Philippine coast guardsmen were supposed to simulate a commando raid of a ship that has been taken over by pirates, Balilo said.

About 50 Filipino coast guard personnel and 30 Japanese counterparts joined the two-day drill, which started Wednesday, he said.