Helicopter crashes in Colombia attack

The Colombian army uses US-built Black Hawks

A Colombian army helicopter with 22 soldiers on board has crashed in north-western Colombia, where security forces are engaged in heavy fighting with Marxist rebels.

The Colombian Air Force Chief, General Hector Velasco, said that the US-made helicopter had been hit by gunfire from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

The helicopter was hit by gunfire, but that was not the cause of the crash

General Hector Velasco, head of Colombian Air Force

But he said that it the shots had not caused the crash.

General Velasco added that the number of casualties is still not known.

The BBC's correspondent in Colombia, Jeremy McDermott, says that if the Black Hawk helicopter has been shot down it will be an immense propaganda victory for the Farc.

Strategic area

The Black Hawk crashed as it was hovering slightly above the ground so that soldiers could disembark.

General Velasco said the accident had occurred when a rotor on the tail section hit the ground.

The Farc have warned they will destroy US-helicopters

The gunship was flying troops to the north-western town of Dabeiba which has been under rebel siege since Wednesday.

General Velasco said there had been a number of casualties.

But he said it was not known how many people had died because fighting was still going on in the area.

The Farc guerrillas have been trying to regain this strategic area which commands a major supply route for drugs and arms to the Caribbean coast and Panama.

Rebel targets

The $12m US-made Black Hawk had been bought by Colombia.

It was not one of those being given under a $1.3bn dollar package of mainly military aid from the US to boost Colombia's war against drugs.

The Black Hawk helicopters promised by Washington as part of the Plan Colombia deal have not yet been delivered.

But the Farc have already warned that they will destroy US helicopters if they get the chance.

They have described Plan Colombia as US-intervention and have vowed to turn Colombia into another Vietnam for the Americans.