At least five people, including two pilots and three others on board a government helicopter, died on Monday morning when the aircraft crashed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to reports, the MI-17 helicopter crashed in the Chilas area of Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan.
Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said, "One of our helicopters has crashed in Thor, Chilas." According to Faizullah, the crew included two pilots and three technical staff.
A video from the crash site has surfaced on social media showing smoke billowing from the crashed helicopter.
Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed said that the crash occurred whilst a landing test was ongoing on a newly proposed helipad.
The specific cause of the crash remained unclear. This incident marks the second such accident in recent weeks, following the crash of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government helicopter that occurred last month.
