The deceased is a Polish citizen. Three other people were injured, two of them seriously, according to Māris Gorodcovs, the director of the Civil Aviation Agency, who was speaking to Latvian Radio.
According to eyewitnesses, the crash may have happened as a result of the helicopter hitting electric cables.
Police said they were informed of the incident around 13:25 local time. The chopper came down in Gramzda parish.
"Given that rally service personnel and medical staff were closest to the site of the accident, they were immediately deployed for the first necessary rescue and emergency medical assistance," the rally organizers said.
Emergency services then took over.
The crash took place near the finish of stage 11 of the rally, which was subsequently halted as a result of the incident, though it is not believed the helicopter in question was directly connected with the rally or its organizers.
‼️There's been civil helicopter crash near SS11 finish.
— Rally Liepāja (@LVRally) October 8, 2017
‼️Netālu no SS11 finiša notikusi civilā helikoptera avārija.https://t.co/dyDz9bzhWd
However, later in the day the rally carried on to a conclusion. You can see a video report below.
