Pakistan Army helicopter crashes near Muzaffarabad in PoK

A Pakistan Army Mi-17 helicopter crashed near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during take-off due to a technical fault, killing all personnel on board.

Islamabad: An Mi-17 helicopter of the Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, killing all personnel on board, the army said.

“There were no survivors,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military, said, without giving the number of those killed.

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In a brief statement, it said that the accident occurred “during take-off due to a technical fault”.

Rescue and recovery teams immediately reached the crash site.

A board of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact technical cause of the accident.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed grief and sorrow over the accident.

In separate statements, they extended their heartfelt sympathies to the families of those killed in the accident.

Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and all ranks of the army “express deep grief over the tragic loss of precious lives and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families”, the ISPR said.

In September last year, an army helicopter crashed in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, killing five personnel.

In August 2025, a helicopter of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government crashed in the Mohmand district due to bad weather, killing five people, including both pilots.