18 dead as Chechens down Russian helicopter

At least 18 soldiers and air crew were killed when their helicopter was shot down in Russia's volatile Chechnya region on Friday, Russian news agencies and the military said. The incident appeared to be the deadliest single attack for over a year by Chechnya's insurgents.
A spokesman for the military prosecutor's office told Reuters: "At the present time the death toll is 18 people - the crew and troops." Officials earlier put the death toll at 17. Russian news agencies said the Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down by Chechen rebels. The military has made no official comment on what caused the helicopter to go down.