NICOSIA (AFP) - A helicopter crash that killed Cyprus’s army and air force commanders and three other officers was caused by a fire that caused the aircraft to go out of control, the island’s defense minister said yesterday. However, Socrates Hasikos said the cause of the fire remained “unverified.”

Killed in the July 10 crash were Lieutenant General Evangelos Florakis and air force chief Wing Commander Stelios Demenagas, both seconded from the Greek army, and others from the Cypriot National Guard.

“The fire resulted in a loss of control of the helicopter, either because it expanded into the cockpit or it destroyed flight control systems,” Hasikos told a news conference while releasing a 33-page report into the accident.

He said the fire could have been caused by a fuel leak, a short circuit in the electrical systems or overheating in the fuel injection system, but he ruled out foul play or pilot error.

An inquiry was launched after the Bell-206 helicopter crashed in open country during the early hours of July 10, while attempting an emergency landing on its way to Paphos.