Eight Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeepers died and one was injured in a helicopter crash on Thursday, the MFO stated.

An informed source told Ahram Online the crash took place near Tiran Island in the Red Sea, denying reports the accident occurred in the Sinai Peninsula.

The helicopter had nine personnel on board, the MFO said on its website, adding they were on a routine mission. The injured peacekeeper was medically evacuated.

The statement added the victims were six US nationals, a French, and a Czech.

“The MFO will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. At this point, there is no information to indicate the crash was anything except an accident,” the MFO statement added.

The MFO was installed to monitor the demilitarisation of Sinai under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace accord.

According to its website, the MFO has 1,154 military personnel from the United States and 12 other countries covering an area of more than 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles) in Sinai. Some 452 of the personnel are American.