An unidentified aircraft is believed to have crashed in a mountainous area of northern Albania and radar contact with it has been lost, sources in the Albanian government told Reuters.

"There are reports from villagers to local authorities that there was a ball of flame," a senior Albanian official said on condition of anonymity. Agim Doci, spokesman for Albania's Defence Ministry, could only confirm that an unknown aircraft had lost contact with Albanian and Italian operators in the area near Albania's border with Montenegro and Kosovo.

Helicopters had reached the area and were scanning the slopes and top of the snow-covered Mt. Jezerce, said Avni Neza, an Interior Ministry spokesman. NATO, which has some 16,000 troops in neighbouring Kosovo, has confirmed all their helicopters were accounted for.

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