Tikrit, Nov 07: At least four US soldiers died in the crash today of an army black hawk helicopter near the North-Central city of Tikrit, the military said based on preliminary reports. A US officer on the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity said that six soldiers were killed.

It was not immediately known whether the aircraft went down due to mechanical failure or hostile fire, a spokesman said.

But another US officer who asked not to be named said there had been exchanges of gunfire near the Tigris river, and that two loud booms were heard before it went down at 9:40 a.m. On a riverbank about one kilometer from the US base in Saddam Hussein's former palace. White smoke was seen rising from the wreckage and another black hawk landed near the site while an apache attack helicopter hovered overhead.

"We don't know if it was a mechanical failure or hostile fire," Maj. Jocelyn Abel, spokeswoman for the 4th infantry division, said.

Three US helicopters have been confirmed shot down in Iraq since President George Bush declared an end to major combat May 1. Bureau Report