Bodies of US and Fijian mixed up

The bodies of a United States security guard and a Fijian colleague have been mistakenly sent to the wrong countries for burial after their civilian helicopter was shot down in Iraq.

Eleven people - six US civilians, three Bulgarians and two Fijians - were killed on April 21 when their commercial helicopter was shot down north of Baghdad.

The mix-up only became apparent when the caskets of what were believed to be six Americans arrived in the US last week and only five DNA tests matched, US Ambassador to Fiji David Lyon said.