A file photo of a Royal Navy Sea King Early Warning helicopter

LONDON, March 22 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Two helicopters from Britain's Royal Navy collided in mid-air Saturday, March 22, over international waters in the Gulf and seven crewmen on board are confirmed dead, a British military spokesman said.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) and involved two Royal Navy Sea King Airborne Early Warning helicopters, Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted the spokesman as saying.

All seven crewmen aboard the two British helicopters are dead, a British military spokesman said here.

"I've just been informed by London that all seven crew members are dead," Royal Air Force Group Captain Al Lockwood said at Camp As-Saliyah, the U.S.-British command and control center directing the air and ground assault on Iraq .

He specified that "the incident was not the result of enemy action."

"Further details will be released as soon as possible after next of kin have been informed," he added.

But Group Captain Lockwood seemed to rule out helicopter maintenance problems as a cause of the accident.

"All coalition aircraft are maintained to the highest of standards" he told BBC News Online.

The accident comes only a day after eight British Royal Marines and four U.S. airmen were killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait .

The U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter came down during deployment operations to the Fao peninsula in southern Iraq .

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is to outline the strategy behind the increased attacks, at a press conference on Saturday, hours before anti-war demonstrations planned in London and around the kingdom.