Helicopter crashes in Chechnya, casualties unclear

MOSCOW, Apr 27 (Reuters) A military helicopter with troops on board went down in Russia's volatile province of Chechnya today but it was unclear if there were casualties or what caused it, Russia's air force said.

An air force spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the Mi-8 transport helicopter had gone down but gave no further details.

Alexander Drobyshevsky, an aide to Russia's air force commander, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying it crashed at 11:34 a.m. (1304 IST) near the village of Shatoi in southern Chechnya.

A special investigative commission was working at the scene, he said. ''Commission members will establish whether the helicopter was shot down or if the crash was caused by a technical glitch,'' he said.

REUTERS KK KN1551