Share this on:

Mixx Digg Facebook del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon MySpace

Rev. Moon hurt in copter crash, officials say

Story Highlights
NEW: Church leader, others 'safe' after crash in heavy rain
Helicopter carrying 16 people strikes side of mountain in South Korea
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, 15 others injured, fire official says
Moon founded the Unification Church in 1950s
Next Article in World »

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A helicopter carrying the Rev. Sun Myung Moon crashed into a mountainside Saturday as it attempted an emergency landing, injuring the founder of the Unification Church and 15 others, officials said.

Moon's helicopter burst into flames after striking a hillside in heavy rain, his church's Web site said.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon and members of his family were hurt in the accident, a fire official says.

Moon, 88, was slightly injured in the crash, a hospital official said. Members of Moon's family, including his wife, were also hurt, and one person suffered a serious back injury, fire official Kim Wu-jong said.

The S-92 helicopter was carrying 16 people, including 13 church members, when it crashed and burst into flames, the transportation ministry said.

Moon and the others were treated at the nearby church-affiliated Cheongshim Hospital in Gapyeong, about 37 miles northeast of Seoul, hospital official Park Sung-kwon said.

Moon received an X-ray and his condition was not serious, Park said.

No details of his injury were given, but the church said in a brief statement on its Web site that Moon and the others were "safe."

The transportation ministry said the accident took place as the helicopter made an emergency landing due to bad visibility during heavy rain. The exact cause of the crash was still under investigation, police said.

Church official Kim Dae-yeol said the helicopter was flying to Cheongshim Hospital from southern Seoul. The Gapyeong area has several church-affiliated facilities including a museum and schools.

Moon founded the Seoul-based Unification Church in the 1950s and the conservative Washington Times newspaper in 1982. His church owns hundreds of companies around the world, including the United Press International news agency.

The church's doctrine is a mixture of Christian, Confucian and traditional Korean values, and Moon's followers believe he came into the world to complete the work of Jesus Christ.

In 2004, Moon was the center of a coronation ceremony in Washington at which he declared himself the Messiah. He also became widely known for performing mass weddings of followers.

E-mail to a friend