British soldier dies in crash

A British serviceman was killed when a helicopter crashed in Iraq today, the Ministry of Defence said today.

The RAF Puma crashed at Basra Airport, the operational centre for the British forces in Iraq.

The airport, 15km south of Basra town, is regarded as a safe area.

An MoD spokesman said: "The crash is not believed to be a result of enemy action." Two others on board the helicopter were uninjured.

The name of the casualty - the 14th British soldier to die in Iraq since George Bush declared military operations over on 1 May 2003 - will not be released until the next of kin have been informed.

Squadron Leader Spike Wilson told the BBC: "It's not possible to speculate what mission the aircraft was on."