A Madagascar minister says he swam 12 hours to shore after his helicopter crashed into the sea during a rescue mission

• A Madagascar official survived at sea after his helicopter crashed during a rescue mission.
• Serge Gelle said he swam for 12 hours using a helicopter seat as a flotation device.

A Madagascar official survived for hours at sea after his helicopter crashed during a rescue mission on Monday, according to the country's defense ministry.

Serge Gelle, the secretary of state for police, was headed to inspect the site of a shipwreck on Monday when the helicopter went down over the ocean, the defense ministry wrote on Twitter.

According to the BBC, Gelle said he swam for 12 hours using a helicopter seat as a flotation device until he reached safety, and that he had no injuries.

"It wasn't my time to die," Gelle said in a video while recovering, according to Sky News.

Gelle was found on Tuesday near the oceanside town of Mahambo, on Madagascar's northeast coast, the defense ministry said. Another passenger on the helicopter also survived the crash.

"I salute the entire dedication of the Secretary of State for the Gendarmerie, General Serge Gellé and Chief Warrant Officer Andrianarison Laitsara Jimmy, survivors of the crash while their helicopter went to the aid of the castaways," Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina tweeted on Tuesday.

The helicopter's pilot and another man remain missing.

Gelle had been traveling to the site of a cargo ship accident, where at least 64 people died and 24 people are still unaccounted for after the vessel sank on Monday, France 24 reported on Wednesday.