Sudan military helicopter crashes, killing 6, army says

KHARTOUM - A Sudanese military helicopter crashed in the country's North Kordofan state on Friday, killing all six crew members on board, the armed forces said.

Sudanese military spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid said the helicopter went down about three minutes after taking off from the El-Obeid airport because of a technical problem.

"A fire broke out due to a technical failure. The captain of the aircraft attempted to land near the airport, but the fire intensified, resulting in the martyrdom of the crew of six people," he said.

Sudan's armed forces are fighting insurgents south of North Kordofan, near the volatile border with South Sudan, and rebels from the western Darfur region say they have carried out attacks in North Kordofan, but there was no indication the helicopter crash occurred as a result of fighting.