Pakistan Army's Chopper Crashes In PoK's Gilgit Baltistan During Test Landing; 2 Pilots Among 5 Dead

Islamabad: The Pakistan Army's Mi-17 chopper crashed in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Monday. All five personnel onboard the helicopter reportedly died in the crash. According to reports, the helicopter crashed due to a technical glitch.

The aircraft crashed in the Chilas area of Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said in a statement. Among the deceased were two pilots and three technical staff.

The fiver peronnel killed in the crash have been identified as - Major Atif, pilot in command; Major Faisal, co-pilot; Naib Subedar Maqbool, flight engineer; Havilar Jahangir, crew chief; and Naik Amir, crew chief, reported PTI.

The incident took place at around 1 am near Hudor village, about 12 kilometres away from Thakdas Cantonment, in Diamer.

At the time of the crash the helicopter was conducting a test landing on a newly-proposed helipad, reported PTI, quoting Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed as saying.

"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 Pakistan Army said in a statement.

The exact reason for the crash is not known. It is the second such incident in recent weeks after a helicopter of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government crashed last month.