5 crew members killed after helicopter crashes in PoK’s Gilgit-Baltistan

Islamabad: At least five crew members, including two pilots, died on Monday when the helicopter they were flying crashed in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan, officials said.

The aircraft crashed in the Chilas area of Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said in a statement.

“One of our helicopters has crashed in Thor, Chilas,” he said, adding the crew included two pilots and three technical staff.

Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed, in a statement, said five casualties occurred due to the crash. The helicopter was conducting a test landing on a newly-proposed helipad, he added.

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