Sixteen soldiers were killed and five others injured after a military helicopter crashed due to "a technical problem" in the Hoa Lac area during a parachuting training exercise in Hanoi on Monday morning.

The copter crash took place at 7:53 am (Vietnam time) in Thach That District, on the outskirts of the capital city, according to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters on the scene.

Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, vice chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, told Tuoi Tre that the accident was caused by "a technical problem."

The pilot managed to take it away from residential areas to avoid causing civilian casualties, Lieutenant General Tuan added.

There were 21 people aboard the Mi 171 helicopter of the Vietnamese air force, including a flight crew of three members, two parachuting trainers, and 16 parachuting trainees.

Five of them suffered injuries and are being treated at a military hospital while the other 16 were killed in the accident.

The crash flames were put out at 8:20 am the same day.

Local residents heard a small explosion and saw some debris from the chopper as it was going to crash into a paddy field and burst into flames.

The front part of a motorbike and a chair near the scene were destroyed after a piece of helicopter debris fell onto them.

Right after the accident, dozens of young locals rushed to the scene to attempt their rescue.

They pulled some people out of the crashed chopper and then stepped backward for fear that further explosions might take place.

Rescuers and police were present at the scene to save the victims and take the injured people to hospital for emergency care.

Local people highly appreciated the helicopter’s pilot who managed to avoid a crash into civilian homes, which could have brought about more serious casualties.

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