Manila  - Two Philippine military helicopters came under fire Sunday in a southern province where recent fighting between government troops and Muslim militants killed more than 50 people, officials said.

Three passengers of the UH-1H helicopters suffered "slight splinter wounds" in the attack, said Major General Ben Dolorfino, a regional military commander.

Dolorfino said the choppers were "subjected to ground fire" over the village of Limbo Upas in Al Barkah town in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila, forcing them to make emergency landings in nearby Lamitan City.

"During the incident, the choppers were flying low due to low cloud ceiling," he said. "Three passengers suffered slight splinter wounds."

Two cameramen of the state-run National Broadcasting Network were among those hurt, said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.

Cacho said the television crew was filming with senior military commanders during the attack as they were returning to base in nearby Zamboanga City.

The attack came just days after hundreds of government soldiers raided a training camp of Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels in the boundary of Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo towns, triggering fierce clashes.

Twenty-three soldiers and 30 rebels were killed in the fighting.

The slain rebels included members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is preparing to resume stalled peace talks with the Philippine government. The military called for an investigation into the MILF's role in the fighting.

The Abu Sayyaf group, which has been linked to the international al-Qaeda terrorist network, has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines as well as high-profile kidnappings. (dpa)