An army helicopter crashed in the mountainous Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, on Monday, claiming the lives of all five personnel on board.
According to a statement released by the military, the MI-17 helicopter was on a routine training flight when it developed a technical fault and went down around 10:00 a.m. (0500 GMT).
The victims included two pilots, two crew members, and a flight engineer. Local police officials said the aircraft had been attempting a test landing on a newly proposed helipad when the crash occurred.
The incident took place in a popular tourist region surrounded by treacherous terrain, making rescue operations difficult.
This tragedy comes just weeks after another MI-17 helicopter crashed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during flood relief operations, killing five crew members. Pakistan has witnessed multiple fatal helicopter crashes in recent years, including a 2022 crash in Balochistan that killed five servicemen and a senior army commander.
Military authorities have launched an investigation into the latest accident.
AFP
