All personnel on board a Pakistani military helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday (10 June), according to the country's military.
In a statement, the military said an Mi-17 helicopter operated by Pakistan Army Aviation crashed during take-off due to a technical fault.
“An Mi-17 helicopter of Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Muzaffarabad today during take-off due to technical fault,” the statement said.
“There were no survivors,” it concluded.
The military did not immediately disclose how many personnel were on board.
Pakistan's military said rescue and recovery teams were deployed to the site and that a board of inquiry had been established to determine the exact cause of the accident.
A Reuters witness said the helicopter crashed shortly after take-off and caught fire, with firefighters attempting to bring the blaze under control. Ambulances were also seen transporting victims from the scene.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir expressed condolences to the families of those killed.
The crash occurred amid heightened security measures in Pakistan-administered Kashmir following recent deadly clashes between protesters and security forces.
However, the military said the helicopter went down because of a technical fault and did not suggest any connection between the unrest and the accident.
The Mi-17 is a Russian-designed transport helicopter widely used by Pakistan's armed forces for troop transport, logistics and operations in mountainous regions, including Kashmir.
Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft's maintenance history and the circumstances surrounding the reported technical fault as part of the military's inquiry into the crash.
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