U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq, killing all aboard

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in northern
Iraq late on Saturday night, killing all people on board, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

Four crew and eight passengers were listed as being on board, the U.S. military said in a statement, adding that the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The helicopter went down in a sparsely populated area 12 km (7.5 miles) east of the town of Tal Afar shortly before midnight on Saturday. It had been flying between bases in northern Iraq when communications were lost with the aircraft, the statement said.

An immediate search and rescue operation was launched from nearby military installations. The aircraft was located at midday on Sunday.

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