US helicopter crashes near N Korea border

A US military helicopter taking part in a joint South Korea-US drill has crashed near the North Korean border.

A US military official identified the aircraft as a CH-53 US Marine helicopter that was carrying three crew and 13 other personnel during a training exercise.

There were no apparent casualties, officials said.

The Yonhap news agency had previously identified the helicopter as a UH-60 Black Hawk with 12 personnel on board.

The US official described the crash as a "hard landing" in Cheolwon county, which is on the border with North Korea, SKYNEWS reports.

The Korean peninsula is currently at a state of heightened military tensions, partly due to North Korea's anger over the ongoing South Korea-US military exercises, which it sees as an invasion rehearsal.

There are 28,500 US military personnel permanently stationed in South Korea.

Bnews