Burning oil wells may have caused death of marines

Thick smoke from a burning oil well was being investigated last night as a possible cause of a helicopter crash which killed eight Royal Marine Commandos as they flew into action in southern Iraq. Four American crew were also killed when the Sea Knight helicopter crashed south of the Kuwait-Iraq border.

The Marines from 3 Commando Brigade, flying in a US helicopter, were being airlifted into the Al-Faw peninsula, where British forces were spearheading an assault to secure oil installations. The accident happened at around 3.30am local time (00.30 GMT).

Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Curry, a Royal Marines spokesman in Kuwait, said the men had been on their way to reinforce the strike force and were aiming to secure oilfields, which were reportedly being set on fire by retreating Iraqi forces. The helicopter was assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. "At 7pm last night, combat units from 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines in conjunction with Naval Special Warfare teams from the US Navy launched a heliborne assault in the Al-Faw peninsula in southern Iraq," he said. "The aim of the assault was to capture intact an oil pumping station and pipeline valve in order to prevent their destruction by Iraqi forces and the subsequent environmental pollution of the Persian Gulf."

Lt-Col Curry added: "The mission has been successful. All objectives have been captured intact. Iraqi resistance has been light and there have been enemy casualties and prisoners. Regrettably, during the deployment phase, a US helicopter crashed. There were eight UK servicemen from 3 Commando Brigade and four US air crew on board. None survived the crash."

Officials said it was unclear what caused the twin-rotor CH-46 helicopter to crash and an investigation was under way. They said there were no reports of enemy fire in the area at the time of the accident, and they were adamant that the helicopter had not been shot down by Iraqi forces.

The Sea Knight fleet has a history of mechanical problems. Last year, all 291 Sea Knights in US service were grounded after a crack was discovered in a rotor blade.

The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, expressed "my personal, and the British Government's condolences to the family and loved ones of the service personnel who perished overnight in the helicopter accident".

He added: "This is an illustration of the risks which our very brave young men and women face when going into active service."

Marines from 3 Commando Brigade have their headquarters at Stonehouse, Plymouth. The brigade consists of Royal Marines from 40 Commando, based in Taunton, and Plymouth-based 42 Commando.

A Royal Navy spokeswoman in Plymouth said community officers were handling calls from family members following the crash. "The community officers are busy doing their job. There is an established network of support," she said.

The Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, said yesterday that securing the Iraqi oilfields was one of the key aims of the military action. He said that he could confirm reports that Iraqi forces had set fire to a number of oilfields. Some reports said that more than a dozen had been set alight and that thick smoke was billowing across parts of southern Iraq and into northern Kuwait.

A statement from US Central Command in Qatar said: "A US Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter carrying both US and UK military personnel crashed early this morning south of Umm Qasr, near Highway 801 in Kuwait. The cause of the incident is under investigation."