(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-13 14:55

LIMA -- All 10 people aboard a helicopter that crashed Tuesday in northwestern Peru's Cajamarca province are dead, Peruvian police said.

The wreckage of the helicopter, which disappeared while flying over a mountainous area, was found in a precipice Wednesday.

The victims included two crew members and eight passengers.

Peru's Air Force Aerial Group chief Colonel Jose Briceno said rescue brigades were heading to the scene to salvage the remains and carry out further investigations.

The helicopter, belonging to the Helinka-Evergreen company, lost contact with the ground at 11 am local time (1600 GMT) Tuesday while offering transportation services for the Rio Tinto mining company.

Witnesses said the copter crashed in the Chiclayo region, a mountainous zone some 800 km northwest of Peru's capital Lima.