BBC report
Two British helicopters from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal have collided in mid-air in the Gulf, killing all six British servicemen and a US officer on board.
The Ark Royal's Captain Alan Massey said the deaths were caused by a "tragic accident", five miles from the Royal Navy's flagship. He paid tribute to the "extremely professional" crew members killed and said: "As you can imagine the loss is being felt very intensely".
The Sea King Airborne Early Warning aircraft crashed at around 4.15am local time (1.15 GMT) and the Royal Navy has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. One of the helicopters had been going out on a surveillance mission from the Ark Royal, while the other was returning from the same operation.
The incident happened a day after eight UK commandos and four US marines died in a Chinook helicopter crash in northern Kuwait. The collision happened over international waters in the Gulf on Saturday, UK Central Command in Qatar said.
The seven deaths were confirmed by a British military spokesman. He said: "The incident was not the result of enemy action. "Further details will be released as soon as possible after next of kin have been informed."
A rescue operation was launched within minutes of the crash. The minesweepers HMS Brocklesby and USS Dextrous searched for survivors and were also told to salvage the aircraft and its black boxes and weapons.
Captain Massey said the thoughts of everyone on board the Ark Royal were with the families of those killed. "The helicopters were based in a squadron that has its home in Culdrose naval air station in Cornwall," he said. "The shock will be enormous back there."
Despite the deaths, Captain Massey said the ship's work would continue and that members of the same squadron had already been sent out.
Sea King AEW
Brought into service after the Falklands conflict
Can detect low flying aircraft trying to attack surface ships
Maximum speed of 125 knots
Operated by a crew of three - one pilot and two observers
They are used to protect aircraft carriers
"I know that what they would have said to us now that there is a mission to do...we have Marines on the ground who need our support," said Captain Massey. "What they would have wanted above all else is that we crack on and get this job done."
He denied suggestions that procedures may have been ignored and said the helicopters had been operating to "peacetime safety" levels, with maintenance, training and sleeping patterns followed properly. "The last thing I can do in wartime is to allow vital aircraft and irreplaceable air crew to be lost at exactly the moment when I need them most," Captain Massey said.
The helicopters had been providing surveillance for missions involving British Royal Marines. Group Captain Al Lockwood told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Certainly there must have been extenuating circumstances and our investigators are into the process of trying to establish the facts" he said.
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"There is a lot of air activity. However, we do have very careful plans and procedures to ensure we have separation of all of the aircraft being used." Appearing to rule out mechanical failure, he added: "All coalition aircraft are maintained to the highest of standards".
Former Navy serviceman Michael McGinty, from the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC News the helicopters would probably be of the type known as "junglies". "Helicopter crashes are rare but unfortunately they are more likely to happen in war," he said.
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