Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash in Gilgit-Baltistan Claims Five Lives
A Pakistan Army MI-17 helicopter crashed in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday morning, resulting in the deaths of all five personnel aboard, as confirmed by the military.
The helicopter was conducting a routine training mission when it reportedly encountered a technical malfunction around 10:00 am (0500 GMT), leading to the crash. Among the deceased were two pilots, two crew members, and a flight engineer.
Authorities from the local police indicated that the crash took place during a test landing on a newly proposed helipad in the mountainous tourist region.
This tragic event follows another incident involving an MI-17 helicopter, which belonged to the government, that crashed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province a few weeks earlier during flood relief efforts, resulting in five fatalities.
Pakistan has experienced several fatal helicopter crashes in recent times. In 2022, an accident claimed the lives of five soldiers and a senior army commander when their helicopter crashed in flood-stricken Balochistan.
