A helicopter transporting troops crashed in western Sudan, killing 19 members of the armed forces and a university student, the army said in a statement carried Wednesday by the official news agency.
The troops were being evacuated from the area by helicopter on Tuesday following a vehicle accident on the ground, the army said.
"The helicopter crashed as a result of a technical problem ... leading to the martyrdom of 19 officers and noncommissioned officers from the armed forces, including the crew of the plane, in addition to one student from Kordufan University," said the statement, which gave no further details.
It was unclear what the troops were doing in the area of Um Sialah of Northern Kordufan state, 250 miles west of the capital, Khartoum.
**PHOTO CAPTION***
Sudan map.