7 dead, 1 injured in military helicopter crash in Mexico

Mexico's Defence Department says seven army personnel are presumed dead after a helicopter crashed in the northern state of Durango.

One soldier was found seriously wounded at the scene. The bodies of the rest of the victims were believed to be in the wreckage of the craft.

The department said today the Bell 412 transport helicopter was on a training mission and was carrying 2 pilots, an officer and five soldiers.

The crash occurred near El Salto in a mountainous region of Durango.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.