Seven killed as helicopter crashes in Northern Afghanistan

An Afghan army helicopter crashed in northern Balkh province on Tuesday afternoon, killing all seven on board the military aircraft, the Afghan army said in a statement.

The MI-17 crash took place around 5:30p.m (1300 GMT) as the copter was heading towards the main airbase in the province from the military corps command centre, 209 Shaheen Corps Command in Balkh said.

The incident took place due to technical problems during a training flight, the army said.

The statement added that the helicopter crashed as it attempted to make an emergency landing.

The Afghan army and air force use Russian MI-17 helicopters to transport military personnel throughout the war-torn country where convoys face the constant danger of attacks from Taliban militants.

However, the old helicopters – considered the dinosaurs of Afghanistan’s air wars – have had a history of repeated crashes in the past several years.

(dpa/NAN)

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

DOWNLOAD THE PREMIUM TIMES MOBILE APP

Now available on