MEXICO CITY, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Five naval officers and a forestry official were killed when their helicopter crashed in Central Mexico's Queretaro state, the federal government said on Saturday.

Authorities located the wreckage of the MI-17 helicopter, which reportedly plummeted Friday afternoon, the Naval Ministry said in a statement.

The helicopter crashed at 1:45 p.m. local time (18:45 GMT) after it helped fight a forest fire burning in the area since early May.

The aircraft was found around 6 a.m. (11:00 GMT) Saturday. Rescue efforts were suspended late Friday due to bad weather.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered his condolences to the families of the victims, including a navy captain, two lieutenants and two marines.