British chopper crashes in Iraq

2006-05-06 14:10

Basra - At least two British servicemen were killed when a British military helicopter crashed on Saturday the southern Iraqi city of Basra, said an AFP correspondent at the site who saw their burned corpses.

He said the two British crew members were completely burnt and the helicopter was in flames.

Earlier a British military spokesperson confirmed the crash to AFP.

"I can confirm it is a British military helicopter and it came down more or less right in the middle of Basra city," the spokesperson said.

"We have cordoned off the site where the chopper fell and the crowd that had gathered has been disbursed," the spokesperson said, adding he had no other details on casualties.

The crash occurred at 07:55 on Saturday.

Earlier a policeman from Basra said "a helicopter crashed after being hit by a rocket in a residential area in the centre of Basra."

The ministry of defence in London said: "We can confirm that an incident has taken place involving a helicopter. We cannot give any further detail at this stage while the investigation is ongoing."

- AFP