WASHINGTON - A private US security firm said seven American employees were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq Wednesday, all but one of them in the downing of a Bulgarian helicopter north of Baghdad.
Blackwater USA said it was in the process of notifying the families of the dead.
"This is a very sad day for the Blackwater family," Blackwater USA President Gary Jackson said in a statement. "We lost seven of our friends to attacks by terrorists in Iraq, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their family members."
The security firm said six of the contractors killed Wednesday were passengers in a commercial helicopter that apparently was shot down on a flight to the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
The Bulgarian defense ministry said the helicopter was downed with a missile.
Bulgarian officials in Sofia said 11 people were killed in the crash, including three Bulgarians and two Filipinos. They said the Mi-8 helicopter was owned by a Bulgarian company called Heliair.
Blackwater said the helicopter was operated by Sky Lynk, under contract to Blackwater in support of a contract it has with the US Defense Department.
A seventh American working for the security firm was killed near Ramadi when a roadside bomb blew up near his vehicle. Another contractor was injured in the attack, the company said. They were also working under a Defense Department contract.
04/21/2005 18:42 GMT