Syrian military helicopter crashes, insurgents capture crew

Beirut: Activists say a Syrian government helicopter has crashed in a rebel-held area and several crew members captured by opposition fighters.

The Idlib Media Center and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the helicopter went down near Jabal al-Zawiya, north of the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province.

The Observatory says the aircraft crashed after a technical malfunction.

Observatory director Rami Abdurrahman says opposition fighters, including from the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, captured four crew members. He says another airman survived the crash but was reportedly killed by his captors. The fate of a sixth airman is unknown.

An amateur video posted online showed rebels inspecting the damaged helicopter, which was on its side on a hill.

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting.