Two dead in helicopter crash

The remains of the helicopter in which two soldiers were killed

Two soldiers have been killed after a British army helicopter made a forced landing in Londonderry.

An army spokesman confirmed that a Gazelle helicopter had "gone down" near the City of Derry rugby club in Gransha.

"We are ruling out terrorism activity as a potential cause," he said.

Eyewitnesses described the aircraft as "spiralling out of control".

Several ambulances and eight fire engines have gone to the scene.

The two soldiers were the only people on board.

An Army spokesman confirmed the two deaths.

A police spokesman said the helicopter made a forced landing at about 1530 GMT on Monday.

It landed near Judges Road, where it came down in a field.

The helicopter had been on a routine flight from Omagh in County Tyrone, nearly 40 miles away.

It had been destined for Ballykelly Army base.

My heart goes out to the families of those killed in this tragic accident. Their terrible loss is a reminder of the dangerous and vital work carried out by Army pilots every day Paul Murphy Secretary of state

It had taken off from Lisanelly Barracks in the town about 15 minutes earlier.

An eyewitness, John Arbuckle, said: "You wouldn't have knew it was a helicopter, there was military papers and that floating about in the field.

"At that stage someone said that something could go off, you know with it being a military helicopter so we all got back out of the way again then, but we had already seen that there was nothing that could be done for the people in that helicopter."

It is understood the scene is about 70 metres from a row of five houses.

'Accident investigators'

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy said he was shocked by the deaths.

"My heart goes out to the families of those killed in this tragic accident. Their terrible loss is a reminder of the dangerous and vital work carried out by Army pilots every day," he said.

Group Captain Martin Sharp said it was a tragedy for the soldiers' families.

"My thoughts are very much with the families - they are the people who our hearts go out to," he said.

"I'm sure all of us are feeling that way. They are the ones who will feel the loss very deeply and it is a tragic moment.

"The investigation is under way. An investigation team of specialists is being flown from southern England to the area and they will begin a detailed and thorough investigation.

"This will probably go on for some time, to establish what the facts are and what actually happened to cause this."

The police in Derry said they wanted anyone who may have seen the forced landing to speak to officers at the rugby clubhouse, or contact the police at Waterside on 028 71367337.

The Gazelle helicopter is from 5 Regiment Army Air Corps, based at Aldergrove in County Antrim.

A Gazelle helicopter, which has a maximum speed of 265kph, has a crew of two, but can carry up to four people.

The Gazelle's primary role is observation and reconnaissance and is also used in a wide variety of supporting roles.

More than 1,000 are in service with armed forces and civil aviation organisations throughout the world.

In July last year, two people were treated in hospital following an incident in County Londonderry in which an Army Gazelle helicopter ditched in Lough Foyle.

The helicopter was returning to the Ballykelly army base after a routine flight when the accident happened.

The pilot and a passenger were treated for shock and minor injuries.