Russian helicopter crashes in Syria, 2 pilots die

MOSCOW – The Russian military says one of its helicopters has crashed during an emergency landing in Syria's west, killing both pilots onboard.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the Mi-24 helicopter was en route to the city of Hama when crashed on Sunday.

Both pilots were killed when the helicopter had to perform an emergency landing 15 kilometers away from the airport. A technician onboard was injured and was promptly evacuated to a Russian base.

The ministry cited a technical fault as the cause of the crash and said the helicopter did not come under fire.