Ten US servicemen feared dead in Chinook crash

Ten US servicemen are feared dead after their Chinook helicopter crashed into the sea off the Philippines during a counter-terrorism training exercise.

Witnesses said it appeared to be on fire before exploding on impact with the water.

Brigadier General Donald Wurster said the bodies of three of the crew had been recovered.

"We have found no survivors from the mishap aircraft," General Wurster said. "We of course hope they are alive and we are doing everything with our Philippine friends to find them. These were friends of mine, so it's a difficult part of our jobs."

The cause of the crash was unknown. Philippine military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Danilo Servando ruled out hostile fire.

"There was no indication of anything amiss before this thing happened," General Wurster said. "All we know is the helicopters were flying back on a routine transit mission when one of them crashed for unknown reasons."

Officials said the Bohol Sea at the point the twin rotor Chinook crashed is more than 1,400 feet deep. Locals said swift currents in the area could have carried debris several miles away.

Fisherman Charito Tabanera, 37, said: "I saw a fireball and it fell into the sea," but the wind was so strong and the waters so choppy that he couldn't head in the direction of the crash."

US special forces are in the Philippines to train local forces in counter-terrorism.