State official among 5 dead in Mexico helicopter crash

Five people including a state security chief were killed in a helicopter crash in Mexico, with initial indications pointing to an accident, authorities said.

Aguascalientes security secretary Porfirio Javier Sanchez died along with two security personnel and two crew members, the governor of the central state, Teresa Jimenez, said.

"Unfortunately there are no survivors," she said, praising the pilot's "heroic" manoeuvres to ensure the aircraft came down in a vacant area.

"Investigations have already begun to determine the possible causes. However, everything indicates that it is an accident," Jimenez added.

Five people were killed in a police helicopter crash in the central Mexican state of Aguascalientes, including the state's security chief Porfirio Sanchez Mendoza.

Governor Teresa Jimenez Esquivel said the pilot, Olegario Andrade Zamorano, manoeuvred to allow the aircraft to land in an empty lot, avoiding further casualties.

The other three onboard were Capt. Victor Manuel Valdez Sanchez and artillerymen Alejandro Serafin Guerrero and Juan Humberto Rincon Martinez.

Jimenez Esquivel confirmed that the crash was an accident but she said the state's government reached out to the Ministry of National Defense to deploy federal forces.