Unification Church leader hurt in chopper landing-report

SEOUL, July 19 (Reuters) - The founder of the Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon, was injured when a helicopter carrying him and his family made an emergency landing and then burst into flames, South Korean media reported on Saturday.

Moon, 88, whose followers are known to critics as "Moonies", and his wife were transferred to a hospital with five others injured in the incident, Yonhap news agency and other local media said, citing local rescue officials.

The helicopter carrying a total of 16 people made a hard landing at a small town about 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Seoul, they said, without reporting on the extent of Moon's injuries.

South Korea's police and fire department officials could not confirm if Moon and his wife were in the helicopter.

Unification Church officials were not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Alex Richardson)

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