Brazil chopper with four onboard disappears

Rio de Janerio: A helicopter belonging to Brazil's oil and gas company Petrobras has disappeared with four people onboard in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the company said.

Petrobras said the helicopter was returning from a drilling platform on the Atlantic shelf when contact with the pilot was lost some 100 km from the coast.

Poor weather conditions may be to blame as there were stormy winds reaching up to 80 metres per second Saturday morning.

Two helicopters, an airplane and a ship from Brazil's military are searching for the aircraft and any possible survivors.