May 2, 2002	Thursday	Safar 18, 1423

TUNIS, May 1: Thirteen senior Tunisian army officers, including the chief-of-staff, were killed in a helicopter crash in northern Tunisia, the government said on Wednesday.

Officials said the crash was the worst air accident in Tunisia since the North African country’s independence from France 46 years ago.

The government named army chief-of-staff Brigadier General Abdelaziz Skik as one of the officers killed in the air crash in the Medjez el Bab area, 55 km west of Tunis, on Tuesday.

It only released the name of Skik but a full list obtained by Reuters showed five colonels, four majors, two lieutenants and a warrant officer first class were also on board.

The government, which announced the crash on Tuesday night without giving any details, said on Wednesday it was setting up a committee to investigate the accident.

“Technicians from the United States will take part in the investigation because the plane is an American-made craft,” it added.

Government officials said they suspected mechanical failure as the possible cause of the crash as there had been no reports of bad weather. They gave no other details of the aircraft.

The army officers had been heading to the capital Tunis from an inspection tour in Kef province, about 100 km west of the accident site, officials said.—Reuters