A CHINOOK crew are “safe and well” after a forced landing near the West Bank town of Jericho.

The RAF Odiham aircraft is thought to have landed close to an Israeli minefield, near the border with Jordan, after a mechanical failure. It is believed to have been travelling from Jordan to Cyprus at the time.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “We can confirm that an RAF helicopter made a precautionary landing in the West Bank in the course of a flight following a routine exercise.

“The crew are safe and well.”

Jericho has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. The Palestinian Authority was handed administrative control of the town in 1994.