A Mozambican Air Force helicopter has crashed during a logistics operation in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, but without loss of life, a Mozambique police source has reported.

The accident, reported at around 3:00 p.m. in Mueda district, involved a helicopter on a Mozambican Armed Forces logistics mission, Mozambican police spokesperson Cláudio Langa told reporters.

According to Langa, there were no casualties, and the still unknown number of occupants suffered only minor injuries.

“At first glance, everything suggests a mechanical fault, but a team of Air Force experts has been deployed to the site to investigate the causes of the accident further,” Langa said.

The Mozambican Armed Forces and other government forces in Cabo Delgado have been carrying out operations to combat unidentified groups who have been carrying out attacks in the province since 2017.

The accident occurred as the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi, was winding up a working visit to the province, where he directed the Armed Forces to continue operations to protect the population.

“The Defence and Security Forces are on the ground to defend the people. The latest operations that have been carried out show that they

[unknown armed groups]

are hard pressed,” President Nyusi said.

Attacks by unidentified armed groups in Cabo Delgado, which supposedly originated in mosques, have caused at least 150 deaths since they began in October 2017.