The military helicopter crashed in the early afternoon during a routine mission in the northern Tunisia region of Bizerte.

"The copilot was killed during the crash and the pilot, who was severely injured, was swiftly transported to the regional hospital in Bizerte, where he died," defence ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri told AFP.

In early October, three Tunisian soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash during a nighttime training excercise in the southern region of Gabes.