ISLAMABAD – A military helicopter has crashed in mountainous northern Pakistan, killing four soldiers, including the two pilots, said the army.
The aircraft crashed yesterday in the Gilgit-Baltistan region “due to technical reasons” while transporting the body of a soldier to a military hospital in Skardu, said the army in a statement.
Pakistan has a chequered military and civil aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.
Pakistan International Airlines came under heavy scrutiny this year after one of its planes came down among houses in Karachi, killing 98 people.
In August 2015, 12 people were killed when an army chopper crashed in the northwest.
In May the same year, a Mi-17 army helicopter crashed at a holiday resort in the picturesque hills of Gilgit, killing seven people, including two foreign ambassadors.
Known for its spectacular mountain ranges, Gilgit-Baltistan is a strategically important autonomous region that borders China, Afghanistan and Indian-held Kashmir. – AFP, December 27, 2020
