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Uzbek helicopter crashes on Kazakh border, one dead-1

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ASTANA, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - A helicopter in service with Uzbekistan's border guards has crashed on the border with Kazakhstan killing one person, a Kazakh law enforcement source said Wednesday.

Two Uzbek helicopters with bodyguards on board were flying along the border between the Central Asian countries when the tail of one of the aircraft caught fire, after which the helicopter quickly lost altitude and hit the ground.

"The helicopter crashed on the line separating the two countries and the aircraft's tail ended up on Kazakh territory," the source said.

The helicopter was carrying three people. Two of them used parachutes and survived the crash, and the third died.

According to preliminary reports, the crash was caused by technical problems, the source said.

The Uzbek Defense Ministry said the crashed occurred during scheduled ground tests of the helicopter's engine. For unknown reasons, the aircraft lifted off and later crashed.

A joint commission comprising military, national security and law enforcement officials has been set up to investigate the incident, the ministry said.

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