Nine killed in Chechnya helicopter crash

Nine Russian soldiers have died and five more have been injured in the crash of a military helicopter in Chechnya.

The Mi-8 helicopter carrying Interior Ministry troops crashed near the village of Engenoy in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.

The two pilots were among those who survived the crash.

Another helicopter was reportedly hit by ground fire, which killed a warrant officer who was aboard and wounded another serviceman, an official in the pro-Russian administration in Chechnya speaking on condition of anonymity said.

The ITAR-Tass news agency reports that the chopper was fired on from three positions on the ground as it flew low near the village of Nozhai-Yurt, the report said.