Two killed as helicopter crashes in Iran -agencies

TEHRAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) A helicopter crashed in a lake near Shiraz south of the Iranian capital today, killing the two people on board, Iranian news agencies reported.

The helicopter was the second to come down in Iran in three days in the same area. In Thursday's crash, three people were killed.

The official news agency IRNA said the latest crash occurred about 1300 IST in Maharlou Lake, south of Shiraz. the Fars News Agency said it crashed a few minutes after take-off.

''This helicopter had two people on board. Both have been killed,'' a spokesman for emergency services in Fars province was quoted by IRNA as saying.

It was not clear which organisation owned the helicopter or what caused the crash.

Iran operates an ageing fleet of aircraft mostly dating from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

REUTERS SP PM1534