Two Tunisian soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Monday, one instantly and the other of his wounds in a hospital, the defense ministry said. 

The military helicopter crashed in the early afternoon during a routine mission in the northern Tunisia region of Bizerte. 

"The copilot was killed during the crash and the pilot, who was severely injured, was swiftly transported to the regional hospital in Bizerte, where he died," defense ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri told AFP. 

In early October, three Tunisian soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash during a nighttime training exercise in the southern region of Gabes.