All six soldiers aboard a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter were killed Friday when the aircraft went down near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, according to a CNN report.

"We can confirm all six onboard are dead," , Maj.

Josslyn Aberle, the 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman, was cited as saying.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The Black Hawk went down at about 9:20 a.m. and a second Black Hawk -- traveling with the chopper -- did not notice any hostile fire before the aircraft's hard landing, said the spokeswoman.

The helicopter was engulfed in flames after it went down, according to reports from the second aircraft. The Black Hawks were en route to Camp Ironhorse, the main U.S. military base in Tikrit.

The U.S. military has secured the area, Aberle said.

The crash comes a day after a somber memorial service for 15 U.S. service members killed when guerrillas downed a Chinook helicopter in Fallujah on Sunday. A 16th soldier died Thursday of injuries sustained in the attack, the Pentagon reported.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2003)