Ankara - Search and rescue teams Thursday were scouring snow-covered mountains in central Turkey for of a helicopter crash with hopes of finding any of the six on board alive falling fast.

The private helicopter carrying Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of Islamist far right Grand Unity Party (BBP), crashed in the province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday afternoon.

Turkish television on Thursday broadcast a telephone conversation from a journalist who was on board the helicopter in which he said it appeared that the other five on board were dead.

"Snow and fog everywhere," said Ismail Gunes of Ilhan news agency in a conversation that took place on Wednesday afternoon not long after the crash. He said he couldn't move because his leg was broken. "I am inside the helicopter. The others are silent. I guess they are dead."

Government spokesman Cemil Cicek said that everything was being down to find the helicopter but that deep snow, heavy fog and extreme cold were hampering the more than 1,000 search and rescue workers.

The Dogan news agency said temperatures in the region reached minus 15 Celsius overnight.

Cicek said that the helicopter was not emitting a location signal, making it even more difficult to find the wreckage.

The helicopter was returning Yazicioglu from a rally ahead of Sunday's local elections. Other party leaders on Thursday cancelled scheduled rallies and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to Kahranmanmaras. (dpa)