The crash of a police helicopter in northwestern Colombia on Tuesday led to the deaths of 16 police officers. 

The policemen had been part of an operation to try to arrest one of the leaders of the Usuga Clan, a powerful drug-smuggling gang that operates in mountainous region of Antioquia.

Answering rumors that the craft had been shot down, Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas cited a technical failure and said that the chopper had likely "crashed against the side of the mountain, possibly due to low cloud cover," the BBC reported. Two other aircraft that similarly took part in the operation did not report any gunfire, the minister added.

"If the helicopter that suffered the accident had been returning gunfire, the other two (choppers) would have taken notice," Villegas insisted, according to El País. "But nevertheless, the technicians are engaged in a detailed investigation of the pieces (of debris) in order to determine whether any possibility exists that the helicopter was attacked," he added.

The Colombian newspaper listed the killed officers as pilot Capt. Jhon Anderson Palacio Ubaque, 33; First Officer Capt. Hernando Guzmán Ovalle; as well as 14 other officer, ranging in age between 21 and 41.

The Black Hawk helicopter was assisting an offensive against the Usuga Clan that began early this year with the aim of capturing or killing the top leader of the group, Dario Antonio Usaga, who is known by his nom de guerre "Otoniel," according to Colombia Reports. A former mid-level commander of the now-defunct paramilitary organization AUC, Usaga is wanted by the U.S. government, which has has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The Usuga Clan controls large areas along Colombia's Caribbean and Pacific coastlines and cells along the Venezuelan border, the local publication explained. The group is considered the country's most powerful drug trafficking organization.

Tuesday's accident was the second fatal event involving a government aircraft in a matter of days. Last Friday, 11 soldier died when a military transport plane crashed in the northeast due to a mechanical failure, Colombia Reports recalled.