Dubai: Six British and one American soldiers were killed in a mid-air collision
between two British Royal Navy helicopters over international waters in the Gulf on
March 22, bringing the casualties among the coalition forces during the ongoing Iraq
offensive so far to 20.
The UK Central Command in Doha said the collision was an accident and that the Royal
Navy had ordered a probe into the cause.
The two Sea King airborne early warning aircraft collided and crashed eight
kilometres from the Royal Navy's flagship.
On March 21, a US transport helicopter crashed in Kuwait killing eight British
commandos and four US marines. A US marine also was killed in the line of
fire.
The helicopters were not struck by enemy fire, a spokesman for British forces in the
Gulf was quoted as saying.
The helicopters crashed about 04:30 hours (07:00 IST), soon after take-off from a
ship in the Gulf, officials said.
Pentagon has confirmed that a US Navy officer was among the victims.
PTI
