A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 23 Colombian soldiers crashed this evening in northern Colombia, a military official said, and the fate of the troops was unknown.
"We are investigating what happened to the 23 people on board the aircraft," who include officers, soldiers and six crew members, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The helicopter crashed at around 11.30 a.m. as troops from the army's elite Rapid Deployment Force carried out an anti-guerrilla offensive near the town of Curumani, in Cesar province, some 700 kilometers north of Bogota.
Bad weather may have been a factor in the crash, an army official said.
Rescue aircraft had flown above the helicopter but were unable to land due to the bad weather. Hundreds of soldiers and several helicopters are involved in the search and rescue operation.
AFP