Two Killed in Saudi Gyrocopter Crash

Two people aboard a gyrocopter were killed Sunday when the light aircraft crashed in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, aviation authorities said.

The "gyrocopter crashed and caught fire near the runway at Sama aviation club in Jeddah... killing two people on board," the authorities said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

The statement did not identify the victims or provide their nationalities.

Gyrocopters, tiny rotor-powered aircraft with open cockpits, have grown in popularity among Saudis in recent years.

The authorities began investigating the crash, and issued an advisory "to raise the safety level of aviation and limit accidents," the statement added, without giving further details.