Pakistan military helicopter crashes in Kashmir, all on board killed

A military helicopter crash near Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, has killed all personnel on board, the country’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

In a statement, the ISPR noted that an Mi-17 helicopter of the army aviation crashed during takeoff “due to a technical fault”, the Dawn newspaper reported. It did not specify the number of deaths.

“All personnel on board embraced martyrdom. There were no survivors,” the ISPR said in a statement. It added that 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,” the military’s media affairs wing said.

There has been a heavy security presence in recent days in Muzaffarabad after members of a protest movement said they would hold demonstrations shortly after the local government banned the group under antiterror laws.

At least 11 people were killed on Sunday during clashes between police and protesters in Rawalakot city, the capital of Poonch district in the region.

Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have since deployed federal paramilitary troops and issued a strict travel advisory for the region.