LIMA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- A Peruvian Air Force (FAP) carrying aid to local residents went missing on Tuesday near the country's border with Ecuador, local media reported.

The Mi-17 chopper departing from Urakuza in northern Peru's Amazonas region at around 12:50 a.m. (1750 GMT) was to send food to the nearby community of Chija, but failed to reach its destination, the FAP said in a statement.

"Four FAP personnel were on board the aircraft, but it has not yet been possible to determine if there are human losses because there is no information about it," daily El Comercio quoted FAP spokesman Wolfgang Grozo as saying.

Defensoria Peru, official account of the Ombudsman's Office on Twitter, expressed condolences to families affected by the tragedy and said it requested prompt relief action.

A Peruvian Army aircraft was immediately deployed to locate the missing chopper, said Grozo, adding that due to weather conditions, search operations in the area were suspended, but they will resume on Wednesday at dawn. Enditem

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