BOGOTA: At least seven people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Colombia on Tuesday, the military said.

The Russian-made MI-17 aircraft was carrying 10 people, including four crew when it came down, according to a military statement.

"Unfortunately seven of the occupants have died, and the search for the other three continues," it said.

The authorities gave no cause for the crash. Military accident investigators had arrived at the scene, according to the army.

It said two of the passengers were part of a military aviation fuel maintenance team.

In June 2016, another military helicopter crash killed 17 soldiers in an accident attributed to bad weather.