Ecuador's first female defence minister was killed in a mid-air collision of two helicopters on Wednesday after only nine days in office, government and military officials said.
The accident in the Andean nation further rattles the leftist government of President Rafael Correa, who has clashed with Congress over his executive powers and prompted street protests since taking office along with his ministers on January 15.
Minister Guadalupe Larriva, a former teacher and senior official of a socialist political party supporting Correa, died in the crash in a Pacific coastal province west of Quito, presidential spokeswoman Monica Chuji said.
Ecuadorean Vice President Lenin Moreno said he received a report from the military saying it was an unfortunate accident, "but under these circumstances we usually call for a commission to investigate."
Other Cabinet members dressed in black gathered inside Moreno's home in Quito to mourn Larriva's death. "We as the government will carry out a deep investigation," Interior Minister Gustavo Larrea told a television station. He said Correa travelled to the port city of Manta near the crash site.
Correa wanted Larriva, one of a few civilians to lead Ecuador's 176-year-old military, to control an institution that has played a part in the ouster of three presidents in the last decade by publicly withdrawing its support as street protests erupted.
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