Four soldiers have been killed after a Spanish military helicopter crashed in the rugged mountains of eastern Haiti.

The helicopter crashed on Friday in the Fond Verrettes area, about 50 kilometers from Port-au-Prince near the border with the Dominican Republic. The accident occurred during low visibility.

The four Spanish soldiers were part of Spain's effort to help in Haiti's recovery and reconstruction following the January 12 earthquake.

Attempts to recover the bodies was delayed until Saturday morning due to poor visibility.