Eight die in Spanish helicopter crash

Eight people have been killed when a helicopter carrying power line maintenance workers and civil servants crashed in northeastern Spain.

The accident occurred when the helicopter lost control and crashed into an open field, the fire department says.

The helicopter, a Bell-205, was found totally burned, near Salas de Pallars.

It was returning from a maintenance mission on power lines in the area, the national news agency Efe says.

Authorities first thought there were four victims because the chopper took off with two pilots and two passengers.

However, it later turned out another four people were picked up in Lleida city, says Catalonia emergency services spokeswoman Sarah Prat.

The victims included the regional government's industry supervisor, Divina Esteve Quintanav, two other civil servants, a technician with the Fecsa Endesa electric company and two employees of the Helieuropa Services aviation firm.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. However, Efe quotes a witness as saying the helicopter lost its tail after apparently striking a power cable.