A Pakistani military helicopter crashed on Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan, killing three generals and five other military officers, the military said.

The aircraft crashed in South Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said.

Abbas said early reports said the crash occurred due to "a technical fault in the helicopter."

All the dead in the crash were Pakistanis and included Maj. Gen. Javed Sultan, the top military commander for South Waziristan, Abbas said on Pakistan's Aaj TV.

A military statement said the other victims included two brigadiers, a lieutenant colonel, three captains and a solider.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2008)