A short Defense Ministry statement issued early today and carried by the official Saudi Press Agency did not offer a cause for the crash of the US-made Black Hawk helicopter in the Hafar al-Batin area.
It said authorities already have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
The ministry identified the dead crew members as Lt. Col. Ali al-Arfaj, 1st Lt. Majid al-Fifeefi, 1st Lt. Jadie Qablan and technician Raed al-Jahni.