A British helicopter on Saturday crashed into a residential area in Basra, some 550 km southeast of Baghdad, local Iraqiya TV reported.

The British military in Basra said it had lost contact with a helicopter, but could not confirm the crash, according to reports.

The British embassy in Baghdad could not immediately confirm the incident, either.

There was no immediate word on casualties, but a local police source said that four bodies could be seen inside the British helicopter, Iraqiya reported.

The Iraqi TV aired short footage from Basra which showed heavy smoke and flames billowing from the crash site of the helicopter in the residential area in Basra.

It was not immediately clear what brought down the helicopter.

British soldiers deployed in Basra have rushed to the scene and local Iraqi residents gathered at the crash site and celebrated, according to TV pictures.

Source: Xinhua