BREAKING NEWS: URGENT -- UN helicopter crashes in South Sudan, casualties feared

USPA News - A United Nations (UN) helicopter crashed in the northern region of South Sudan on Tuesday afternoon, the UN mission there confirmed, saying it was "deeply concerned" about the fate of the crew members. It did not say how many people were on board.

The incident happened at about 2:28 p.m. local time when the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) lost contact with one of its Mi-8 helicopters, which was on a routine cargo flight from the city of Wau in northwestern South Sudan to the oil town of Bentiu in northern Unity State. The aircraft crashed about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Bentiu. "UNMISS is deeply concerned about the fate of the crew and has dispatched a search and rescue team to the site of the accident. Investigations regarding the cause of the incident will began as soon as possible," the Mission said in a brief statement. It did not say how many people were on board. The Mi-8 aircraft is capable of carrying up to 27 people, but cargo helicopters usually carry only a small number of crew members. South Sudan, which became the world`s newest country when it broke away from Sudan in 2011, has witnessed widespread violence between rebels and government forces since December 2013. A fresh ceasefire deal was signed by leaders on Monday in the hopes of ending the conflict that has left thousands of people killed.