A major general and two brigadiers were among eight Pakistani military personnel killed on Wednesday when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Those killed were identified as Major General Javed Sultan, who had served as a military adviser at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi about a year ago, Brigadier Afzal Cheema; Brigadier Saeed Khan; Lt Col P Umar Farooq; three captains and a non-commissioned officer.

The army's Bell helicopter crashed near Tanai, located between South Waziristan's major towns of Wana and Jandola, at 2.40 pm local time because of a "technical fault" and was not brought down by any attack by militants active in the area, military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said.

Maj Gen Sultan, the general officer commanding for Kohat area, was on an official visit to the area when the helicopter crashed.

Helicopters had been sent to the crash site for a recovery operation. An investigation had also been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the crash, Abbas said.

President Pervez Musharraf [Images], the supreme commander of the armed forces, expressed shock and grief at the death of the army personnel.

In his message to the bereaved families, he termed the death of the personnel a great loss of professionals.

In October 2007, four persons were killed when a Pakistan Army helicopter escorting Musharraf on a visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir crashed into a hillside near Muzaffarabad.