Egypt military aircraft on training mission crashes, six killed

An Egyptian military aircraft crashed on a training mission on Sunday after a technical failure, killing six soldiers, the army said.

The aircraft came down about 100 km south of Cairo, an army statement said.

"During military training, a technical failure led to the crash of an aircraft carrying troops in Kom Aushim in Fayoum province... killing six soldiers and wounding one," the army said.

No further details about the accident, including the type of the aircraft, were immediately available.

Army chief Sedky Sobhy ordered an investigation into the crash, the statement added.

On Jan. 25, five soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down by militants in the Sinai Peninsula where troops are battling an Islamist insurgency.

Militants have carried out deadly attacks against security forces in the peninsula and in cities including Cairo since the army ousted Islamist President Mohammad Morsi in July last year.

On Sunday, two policemen were killed and six people were wounded when a bomb exploded near a checkpoint outside the foreign ministry headquarters in the capital.