US contractors killed after helicopter shot down

A COMMERCIAL helicopter contracted by the US government was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital yesterday, killing at least 11 people, including six American contractors, officials said.

The helicopter crashed after being struck by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital at 1.45pm local time (10.45 Irish time), the Defence Ministry said. All 11 on board were killed: six Americans, two bodyguards from the Philippines and the three-member Bulgarian crew, the transport ministry said.

The aircraft was hit by at least one surface-to-air missile, said Sotislav Bozhkov, a sales manager at Heli Air, the Bulgarian company that owns the Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter. Video footage showed burning wreckage scattered across a wide area about 12 miles north of Baghdad.