Border officials in Uganda say thousands of refugees have crossed into the country from the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

It follows an attack there by the M23 armed group on Sunday night. Fighters have captured areas close to the border, raising fears of further escalation.

The Ugandan army says there will be no restrictions for people fleeing the violence.

A UN reconnaissance helicopter crashed in East DRC, killing 6 Pakistani peacekeepers, 1 Russian and 1 Serbian.

The UN says an investigation is ongoing.

The DRC Military said the helicopter was shot down, and M23 rebels have denied they shot down the helicopter.

M23 was pushed out of DRC by armed UN forces in 2013 but has resurgedز

Aljazeera.