The UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur denied on Tuesday official claims in Moscow that a Russian helicopter had been seized by rebels. Kemal Saiki, spokesman of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), said "recent reports of a helicopter captured by rebels or by any other armed movement are erroneous."

Instead, the pilot of the aircraft was said to have landed at a spot different from what was originally planned because of bad weather.

Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said unnamed rebels in Darfur had seized a Russian helicopter working under contract for the United Nations and carrying nine people.

"Yesterday (Monday) rebels captured a helicopter of the Russian air company UTair with four Russian crew members and five passengers, Sudanese citizens," a ministry statement said.

Russian embassy official Yuri Vidakas said in Khartoum that, "according to preliminary indications, there might have been a pilot error, and the helicopter landed in the wrong place."

Vidakas said that the situation was now under control and is so far, not being treated as a "hostage taking."