ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani military MI-17 helicopter crashed due to a technical fault in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, killing all navy personnel on board, the navy stated.
The navy didn’t instantly disclose how many individuals had been aboard the helicopter.
The crash occurred close to Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, throughout an ongoing protest and strike known as by the Joint Awami Motion Committee, a lately banned alliance of assorted teams.
The navy didn’t counsel any hyperlink between the protest and the crash.
Witnesses stated that the helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from a helipad. Ambulances arrived on the scene and transported the victims to a close-by hospital.
“Rescue and restoration groups instantly reached the crash web site,” the navy stated, including {that a} board of inquiry had been ordered to find out the precise explanation for the crash.
Residents in Muzaffarabad stated that the helicopter was carrying an unspecified variety of paramilitary Rangers deployed by the federal government for safety duties within the area, the place tensions have been excessive for the reason that weekend, when members of an outlawed group attacked police and safety forces, killing 4 personnel.
Witnesses stated they noticed smoke billowing from the crash web site, and several other ambulances had been seen transporting the victims.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the crash, paying tribute to these killed.
In separate statements, they conveyed sympathies to the victims’ households.
Pakistan’s military chief, Discipline Marshal Asim Munir, additionally expressed deep sorrow over the lack of life and prolonged condolences to the households of these killed, in accordance with the assertion.
Such crashes aren’t unusual in Pakistan.
In September, a military helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians on board.
