Twelve people have been killed and two injured after a helicopter crashed in Brunei, officials say.

The helicopter was carrying 11 military cadets and three crew home after training in the jungle.

The defence ministry said the Bell 212 helicopter came down in Ulu Belait as it headed for the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.

Brunei's ruling monarch Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah visited the two surviving cadets in hospital.

They are reported to be in a stable condition.

In a statement on its website, the Ministry of Defence said Sultan Bolkiah had extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

"His majesty also prayed that the souls of the victims would be blessed and placed with the pious," it said.

No reason has yet been given for the crash, but the ministry has said it is investigating.

Brunei is a small, oil-rich sultanate on the north coast of the island of Borneo.