Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash Kills All Crew Aboard

The Pakistani military has not yet disclosed the number of casualties from the incident, though witnesses reported seeing multiple ambulances transporting victims from the crash site.

The helicopter went down near Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, according to military officials. Witnesses reported the aircraft crashed shortly after lifting off from a helipad in the area.

The crash occurred during ongoing demonstrations and a strike organized by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a coalition of various groups that Pakistani authorities recently outlawed. Military officials made no suggestion of any connection between the civil unrest and the helicopter accident.

Residents told New York Post the helicopter was transporting paramilitary Rangers personnel whom the government had deployed for security operations in the region. Tensions have escalated sharply in Muzaffarabad since the weekend, when members of a banned organization launched attacks on police and security forces, killing four personnel.

Pakistani military officials confirmed that rescue and recovery teams responded immediately to the crash site. Smoke was observed rising from the location as emergency services worked to recover the victims.

The military has established a board of inquiry to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both released statements expressing grief over the incident and offering condolences to the families of those killed. Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, likewise conveyed deep sorrow over the loss of life and extended sympathies to bereaved families.

Such aviation accidents occur with troubling regularity in Pakistan. As recently as September, another army helicopter crashed during a routine flight in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians.

With information from New York Post