Five killed in Colombia chopper crash

Five people were killed when their helicopter plummeted to the ground in a town in Colombia, an official said Tuesday.

The accident occurred in Teorama town of Colombian department (state) of Norte de Santander when the helicopter was carrying company workers to a site to repair a stretch of oil pipeline, damaged recently in an act of sabotage allegedly carried out by leftist insurgents, reported Xinhua citing Edgar Diaz, governor of Norte de Santander.

It took place in the morning in the town located some 380 km from capital Bogota, killing all five passengers on board, including the pilot, co-pilot and three employees instantly, said Marco Tamayo, commander of the Colombian Army's Vulcano Task Force.

"It seems the helicopter fell after getting tangled up in some electricity cables. Nevertheless, we have also been informed of another version that it seems the helicopter was brought down. We are asking the authorities to let us know what really happened," Governor Diaz said.