RAMADI (Iraq), Nov 2: A US helicopter crashed in the area of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, on Wednesday killing two Marines, the US military said. The AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed at around 8:15am and both crewmen were killed, a statement added.

Witnesses said US air strikes hit the area shortly afterwards and a doctor in Ramadi, Taled Dulaimi, said 35 people were killed in strikes near where the helicopter had come down.

There was no independent confirmation of casualties. A US military spokesman in Baghdad said he had no immediate information on operations in Ramadi after the crash.

US commanders have frequently accused local doctors in western Iraq of misrepresenting casualty figures.

Witnesses said the helicopter had come under fire from the ground before it crashed. “The cause of the crash is under investigation,” the US statement said.—Reuters