Bamako, Apr 23 (IANS): An attack helicopter from the Malian Armed Forces, returning from an operational mission, crashed in a residential area of Bamako, the capital of Mali.

The Malian Armed Forces said that the incident occured around 1:10 p.m. on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement.

"Arrangements are underway to assess the situation, provide assistance to possible victims and minimize possible additional damage," said the statement, without specifying the number of casualties or other details.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces calls on the public to calm down and to follow the directives of the specialised services on site.

Since 2012, Mali has been engulfed in a deep multi-faceted crisis at the security, political and economic levels. Independence insurgencies, jihadist incursions and inter-communal violence have left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands more displaced in the West African nation.