Indian Mi-17 military helicopter crashes near China, Bhutan border, killing 7

An Indian Mi-17 military helicopter crashed on Friday, killing all seven crew and passengers on board, officials said.

Defense spokesperson Suneet Newton said the Russian-made helicopter was transporting military officials to a post in the Tawang area of Arunachal Pradesh state, a remote mountainous region in the northeast of the country near the border with China and Bhutan, Reuters reported. The cause of the incident was not immediately known, Newton said.

The wreckage of the helicopter has been found, the Associated Press reported.

A defense ministry offical told AP that both air force and army personnel were on board the helicopter and it was carrying supplies to military posts near the border with China.