Minister suspended over air crash

The helicopter shuttle to the airport takes seven minutes

Sierra Leone's Transport Minister, Prince Harding, has been suspended pending an investigation into the cause of Sunday's helicopter crash.

Three days of mourning have been announced for the 22 people who died at Sierra Leone's main airport.

The helicopter had previously been grounded after failing safety checks. Mr Harding has denied any wrongdoing.

Sierra Leone's two top aviation officials have also been suspended and all commercial helicopters grounded.

A presidential statement said an investigation was being launched into how the airline was allowed to resume flights.

Paramount Airlines is one of several African airline companies banned from operating within the European Union because of safety concerns.

Mr Harding said he would co-operate fully with the investigations.

Among the dead was Togolese Sports Minister Richard Attipoe.

The passengers were returning from watching Togo beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in an African Nations Cup qualifier.

The Togolese passengers had chartered the helicopter for the seven-minute flight from the city to the airport.

Helicopters and ferries are the only way to reach the airport, which is located across a bay from Freetown.

One of the two Ukrainian pilots survived when the helicopter burst into flames as it came into land.

The remains of the passengers are expected to be flown back to Lome in Togo on Wednesday.