Seventeen Turkish soldiers were killed yesterday when their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey due to bad weather conditions, the area's governor said.

The Sikorsky helicopter crashed on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari area of Siirt province, Siirt Governor Ahmet Aydin said. The victims were members of the country's gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors on board, he said.

The Turkish military has been carrying out operations on the mountain in recent months against separatist groups.

Turkish jets and helicopters have pounded PKK positions along the border with Iraq and Iran for three days, killing 42 militants, Hakkari's governor said late on Friday.