Seventeen soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in Siirt province, southeast Turkey, officials have said.

The helicopter went down due to bad weather conditions in the Siirt province, according to local officials and state media.

Siirt Governor Ahmet Aydin also said the victims were members of Turkish special forces.

The Turkish military is active in the south-east, fighting Kurdish militants.

State-run television said the crash occurred in heavy fog in a mountainous area, but authorities are still investigating exactly what happened.

Kurdish rebels are active in the area, but there is no indication they were involved in the incident.