Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett dies in helicopter crash

Exiled Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett has been killed along with his wife Heather in a helicopter crash in the US state of New Mexico.

Local police confirmed Bennett's death on Thursday, a day after a helicopter carrying him and five others went down in a mountainous rural area of northern New Mexico, reports the Guardian.

The 60-year-old was a former treasurer general of the opposition MDC party and was a prominent figure in Zimbabwean politics and had served time in prison under former President Robert Mugabe.

The crash killed five people including Bennett's wife Heather, and injured a sixth person who raised the alarm.

The helicopter went down about 6pm on Wednesday about 15 miles (24km) east of the small city of Raton near the Colorado state line.

According to the reports, in Zimbabwe, Tendai Biti, a prominent opposition leader and a former finance minister, tweeted that the Bennett's "tragic passing" was "a blow to our struggle."

"I have just confirmed from three separate reliable sources that Roy and Heather Bennett have been tragically killed in a helicopter accident in North America," former Zimbabwe government minister David Coltart wrote on Facebook.