DAKAR, Senegal—Congo’s army says rebels in the country’s east have shot down a United Nations helicopter carrying eight peacekeepers and U.N. observers. The helicopter shot Monday was among two carrying out reconnaissance for the U.N. mission in Congo, according to a statement from Congo’s army on Tuesday. Those on the helicopter were assessing the movements of communities that had been attacked by a rebel group in order to coordinate humanitarian assistance. The M23 rebel group on Monday attacked several villages including Tchanzu, Runyonyi, Ndiza, and Tchengerero, according to the statement. Congo’s forces and the U.N. are searching for the helicopter and potential survivors, the army said. The eight people on board the Puma helicopter included six crew members—all from the Pakistani military—and two military personnel, one from the Russian Federation and one from Serbia, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. He confirmed the helicopter was there to …