SAO PAULO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter crashed in a forested area in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, killing all three people on board, the city's fire department said.

The aircraft went down in the Guaratiba neighborhood in the far west of the city. Firefighters recovered the bodies at the scene.

Preliminary information indicated the privately owned helicopter had taken off from a nearby area. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.