Three UN peacekeepers in northern Mali were killed Thursday, and another two injured, when their vehicle struck a "mine or an improvised explosive device," the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said.

The blast occurred at around 1430 GMT when the vehicle was escorting "a logistical convoy" north of Kidal, on a highway between Tessalit and Aguelhok, it said in a statement, adding that the toll was still provisional.