US helicopter crashes in Iraq, two crew missing

BAGHDAD, May 27 (Reuters) A US helicopter with two Marine crew members crashed in Iraq's insurgent plagued western Anbar province today but did not appear to have been brought down by guerrillas, the US military said.

''Search and rescue efforts are ongoing for the missing crew members,'' Marine spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Bryan Salas said in a statement.

''The incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action,'' he said. ''The incident is under investigation.'' The military said the U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra helicopter had been undergoing a maintenance test flight.

REUTERS CH KP2355