Helicopter crash kills 26 soldiers in Pakistan

At least 26 security personnel have been killed after a military helicopter crashed in Pakistan, a senior official has announced.

The crash occured on the border of the Orakzai and Khyber tribal regions due to a "technical fault", Major-General Athar Abbas was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

"An MI-17 [military] helicopter crashed due to a technical fault this afternoon," a statement added.

"Twenty-six security personnel on board embraced shahadat [martyrdom]."

Detailed investigations are to be carried out at the crash site, with Press TV quoting unnamed local as saying the helicopter had been under fire from militants as it fell towards the ground.

The crash came as a suspected US drone strike in South Waziristan killed at least ten militants, according to unnamed intelligence officials.