By Xinhua
Tirana : A Macedonian army helicopter crashed near the capital Skopje, killing 11 soldiers on board, media reports said.
The Mi-17 transport helicopter was returning from Bosnia Saturday after participating in a peacekeeping mission.
Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska rushed to the site of the crash, 25 km southeast of Skopje.
“It is a big tragedy and tremendous loss. At this moment I’ve got nothing much to say except to express my deep and sincere condolence to the families and relatives of the soldiers killed,” Crvenkovski said after visiting the site.
The cause of the crash is not known. An investigation has been started to find out the cause of the incident.