BOGOTA (Reuters) - Ten people were killed when a Colombian army helicopter crashed near the town of Segovia, in northern Antioquia province, on Tuesday, the army said.

The Russian-made MI-17 helicopter, carrying eight army personnel and two civilians, crashed on Tuesday morning on route from the town of Caucasia. Staff onboard the helicopter were set to inspect army gasoline storage facilities.

“The hypothesis is of an accident, it is being investigated,” General Juan Vicente Trujillo, head of the army’s aviation division, told journalists, ruling out an attack as the cause of the crash.

The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, which recently restarted attacks after the end of a ceasefire with the government, is active in the area.

Troops were at the site working to recover the bodies of the victims, Trujillo said.

Colombia reached a peace agreement with the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group last year, ending five decades of war. But the ELN, FARC dissidents, right-wing ex-paramilitaries and crime gangs remain active.</s>Ten people were killed when a Colombian army helicopter crashed near the town of Segovia, in northern Antioquia province, on Tuesday, the army said, according to Reuters.

The Russian-made MI-17 helicopter, carrying eight army personnel and two civilians, crashed on Tuesday morning on route from the town of Caucasia. Staff onboard the helicopter were set to inspect army gasoline storage facilities.

“The hypothesis is of an accident, it is being investigated,” General Juan Vicente Trujillo, head of the army’s aviation division, told journalists, ruling out an attack as the cause of the crash.

The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, which recently restarted attacks after the end of a ceasefire with the government, is active in the area.</s>Ten people, including eight soldiers, were killed Tuesday when a Colombian army helicopter crashed in northern Antioquia province.

The incident occurred in the town of Segovia, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter.

Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas also said on social media that security forces found the wreckage of the helicopter.

The reason for the crash is still not known, Villegas added.​

"The hypothesis is of an accident, it is being investigated," General Juan Vicente Trujillo, head of the army's aviation division, told journalists, ruling out an attack as the cause of the crash.

The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, which recently restarted attacks after the end of a ceasefire with the government, is active in the area.

Troops were at the site working to recover the bodies of the victims, Trujillo said.

Colombia reached a peace agreement with the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group last year, ending five decades of war. But the ELN, FARC dissidents, right-wing ex-paramilitaries and crime gangs remain active.</s>A Russian-made MI-17 helicopter of the Colombian army is seen flying in Meta, Colombia January 14, 2018. — Reuters picBOGOTA, Jan 17 — Ten people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Colombia yesterday, the military said.

The Russian-made MI-17 aircraft was carrying six passengers and four crew when it came down, according to a military statement.

“For us, it is very painful to confirm at this time that the 10 occupants of the aircraft have died,” Army commander General Ricardo Gomez said on Twitter.

The authorities had earlier put the toll at seven dead and three missing, but confirmed after rescuers reached the scene that all aboard had perished.

“Our troops are in the area carrying out work to recover the crew and passengers, and investigators have begun to determine the cause” Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said on social media.

President Juan Manuel Santos said he was pained by the deaths as he sent his condolences to the families in a message on his Twitter account.

Authorities gave no cause for the crash.

The helicopter was overflying a region used by narcotraffickers and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, though there were no suggestions the crash had been caused deliberately.

Santos has suspended peace talks with the ELN in response to what he said were recent guerrilla attacks.

Talks had been set to resume in neighboring Ecuador, but a more than three-month ceasefire expired without immediate agreement to extend it.

“Most likely it was due to bad weather,” a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying the weather was squally and cloudy at the time.

The army said two of the passengers were part of a military aviation fuel maintenance team flying between Caucasia and Segovia in the northern Antioquia department.

In October, 10 people aboard a US-made Huey II helicopter were injured when it came down in Bello, Antioquia.

In June 2016, another military helicopter crash killed 17 soldiers in an accident in central Colombia attributed to bad weather. — AFP</s>BOGOTA, Colombia — Seven people have been confirmed dead in a military helicopter crash in northern Colombia.

Officials say the helicopter was carrying 10 people when it crashed in Antioquia department Tuesday morning.

Rescuers found the remains of seven people on board and are continuing to search for three people who are missing.

Most of the passengers were members of the military, but there were two civilian members of an aviation maintenance team.

The team was in the process of inspecting fuel tanks throughout the region.</s>BOGOTA: At least seven people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Colombia on Tuesday, the military said.

The Russian-made MI-17 aircraft was carrying 10 people, including four crew when it came down, according to a military statement.

"Unfortunately seven of the occupants have died, and the search for the other three continues," it said.

The authorities gave no cause for the crash. Military accident investigators had arrived at the scene, according to the army.

It said two of the passengers were part of a military aviation fuel maintenance team.

In June 2016, another military helicopter crash killed 17 soldiers in an accident attributed to bad weather.</s>BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Seven people have been confirmed dead in a military helicopter crash in northern Colombia.

Officials say the helicopter was carrying 10 people when it crashed in Antioquia department Tuesday morning.

Rescuers found the remains of seven people on board and are continuing to search for three people who are missing.

Most of the passengers were members of the military, but there were two civilian members of an aviation maintenance team.

The team was in the process of inspecting fuel tanks throughout the region.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Helicopter crashes near Uluru with four people on board

Emergency crews in Central Australia are responding to a helicopter crash near Yulara, close to Uluru.

The Health Department said four people were on board when the helicopter crashed at 6:30pm about 1.5km west of the tourist hub.

Three people are expected to be transferred to hospital and at least one has a suspected spinal injury.

A police spokeswoman told the ABC that no one was trapped in the wreckage and that one passenger was seriously injured.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service was en route to the scene late on Wednesday night, and said two of the four passengers were in a reportedly critical condition.

"It's a remote area that's not easy to get to," the police spokeswoman said.

The emergency operation is likely to continue into the night, she said.

Medical clinic staff from Yulara are assisting at the scene.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified of the incident, police said.
A Colombian Army Mi-17 helicopter crashes near Segovia, Antioquia, in northern Colombia, killing at least ten people.