SRINAGAR, India, March 16 (Reuters) - A helicopter carrying three foreign skiers went missing on Friday in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, an official said.

"The helicopter was on way to Sonamarg area with three foreign skiers. We alerted the Indian air force after it went missing," Farooq Ahmad Shah, director of Kashmir's tourism department, told Reuters. "We are trying to establish the identity of the foreigners."

An army helicopter has been sent to the area for the search, he added.

Sonamarg, a mountainous area, lies 86 km (55 miles) northeast of Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital.

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