MI-17 training helicopter crash kills five including two majors: ISPR
- Helicopter was carrying out "a test landing on newly proposed helipad"
A training helicopter of the Army Aviation crashed in the Gilgit Baltistan’s Diamer district on Monday, killing all five people on board, including two majors.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has confirmed the crash landing of an MI-17 helicopter near Hudor village about 12 kilometers away from Thakdas Cantonment.
“The helicopter was on routine training flying when it developed technical fault and crashed. As a result, all crew members on board embraced shahadat,” the military’s media wing said.
Those martyred have been identified as Major Atif (pilot in command), Major Faisal (co-pilot), Naib Subedar Maqbool (flight engineer), Havaldar Jahangir (crew chief) and Naik Amir (crew chief).
“Training missions are part of routine activities of Army Aviation to maintain operational readiness for performing tasks varying from operational support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan Army remains committed to ensuring readiness in all facets, it added.
MI-17 helicopter crash leaves five, including two pilots, dead in Bajaur
The helicopter was carrying out “a test landing on a newly proposed helipad” in a mountainous tourist area when it came down, Abdul Hameed, a senior police officer in Diamer district, told AFP.
“Among the killed were two pilots and three technicians,” he said, adding that the helicopter crashed around 10:00 am.
It comes just weeks after a government MI-17 helicopter crashed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while carrying out flood relief efforts, killing all five crew and pilots.
There have been several deadly helicopter crashes in Pakistan in recent years, including in 2022 when five servicemen and one of the army’s top commanders were killed when their helicopter crashed during flood relief operations in southwestern Balochistan province.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed deep grief and sorrow over the crash of the Army Aviation training helicopter near Thakdas Cantonment area in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The president and the prime minister, in their separate statements, prayed for the elevation of ranks of the martyrs in Jannah.
Extending condolences to the families of the martyrs, they prayed for patience and strength for the bereaved families.
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