In a tragic turn of events near Swakopmund's airfield, a helicopter crash resulted in two fatalities yesterday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as the pilot and a crew member, although their names are yet to be released.

The crashed helicopter belonged to a private company at Swakopmund.

"The helicopter took off from the Swakopmund airfield, presumably for a test flight, and then went to ground nearby," Julius Ngweda of the Ministry of Works and Transport said.

The helicopter's cabin lay crushed just east of the airfield next to the highway, while its tail lay several hundred metres from the main wreckage.

Erongo police commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona confirmed the incident and said an official incident report would only be released after preliminary investigations are completed.

Ngweda said the wreckage would be moved to Eros Airport in Windhoek for further investigation by aviation accident specialists.

"The transport minister is expected to deliver an incident report with findings within the next month," he said.