GB govt helicopter crashes near Chilas, five crew members dead

GILGIT: An army helicopter crashed in Chilas town in Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday, resulting in the martyrdom of five of its crew members, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that an MI-17 helicopter developed a technical fault and crashed near Hudor village, approximately 12 kilometers away from Thakdas Cantonment, at 10:00 am today.

“The helicopter was on routine training flying when it developed a technical fault and crashed. As a result, all crew members on board embraced shahadat,” the statement reads.

The crew members were identified as Major Atif, the pilot in command, Major Faisal, the co-pilot, flight engineer Naib Subedar Maqbool, and crew chiefs Havaldar Jahangir and Naik Amir, according to the ISPR.

Earlier, the GB government spokesperson confirmed the accident, adding that the helicopter crashed during landing due to a technical fault. The govt spox said that there were 2 pilots and 3 technical staff members on board.

After the accident, a large number of people, including Commander FCNA, DG Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts, and Commissioner Diamer, reached the spot, and rescue operations are underway.

On the other hand, an unconfirmed picture received from the site of the helicopter crash can be seen showing smoke rising. After the incident, local people tried to extinguish the fire.

Expressing regret over the helicopter crash, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan has directed rescue operations.

After the incident, an emergency has been imposed at the Regional Headquarters Hospital, Chilas.

It should be noted that earlier, on August 15, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter that was on its way to carry out relief activities in flood-affected areas crashed, killing five people on board.

The incident took place due to bad weather in Sokai near Chengai Banda in Mohmand district.