LEAD: Helicopter fell 50 meters, caught fire: report

BEIJING, Jan. 16 Kyodo

(EDS: RECASTING STORY WITH CHINESE REPORTS, CHANGING DATELINE)

The helicopter that crashed in Mongolia on Sunday, killing nine people including two Japanese journalists, dropped from a height of 50 meters and exploded into flames on impact, the official China Daily reported Tuesday, quoting a senior Mongolian official.

The crash occurred while the helicopter was attempting to land in the mountainous Uvs Province, roughly 1,000 kilometers northwest of Ulan Bator, the English-language daily said.

The official China Central Television reported that the weather would have been a negligible factor in the crash as it was relatively good, but said the helicopter could have experienced mechanical difficulties.

The two Japanese journalists who died in the crash -- reporter Takahiro Kato, 33, and cameraman Minoru Masaki, 35 -- were with Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK). The other casualties in the accident were four U.N. staffers -- from Britain, Germany, Mongolia and the United States -- and three Mongolians, including a national assembly member. 14 others were injured.

Among the wounded was a Chinese U.N. official who sustained a head injury and was brought back to Beijing, the Chinese media said.

The helicopter was chartered by the U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to investigate heavy snowfall damage in Mongolia that killed a large number of livestock.

On Monday, a U.N. spokesman in New York said the cause of the crash is still unknown.

Fred Eckhard told a press briefing that a full investigation would take

place to determine the reason for the crash.

Eckhard also said the 14 survivors, while all hospitalized, were in relatively good condition, belying earlier reports that they had suffered serious burns.

The organization will question the survivors about the circumstances surrounding the crash once they have recovered from their injuries, he said.

The Russian-made helicopter took off from Ulaangom in Uvs Province at around 10 a.m. Sunday and crashed while attempting to land at a nomad encampment after a brief stop at another location in the same province, the U.N. said.

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