Belgian helicopter crash kills five

Five people died today when a helicopter crashed into a field in central Belgium, including the pilot and three members of his family, officials and news reports said.

The aircraft came down in farmland near the town of Merchtem, 12 miles north-west of Brussels.

Police said the dead included a couple and their two children aged 21 and 24, along with a family friend also aged 21, the VRT broadcasting network said.

The helicopter was a privately owned Bell Jet Ranger 206 returning home to Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport in western Belgium after a family Christmas trip to the east of the country, VRT reported.

The causes of the crash were not immediately clear.

The VRT network cited an eyewitness who said the helicopter appeared to collide with power cables before hitting the ground.