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Pakistan air chief blames technical fault for deadly helicopter crash

Xinhua, May 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Pakistan's Air Chief, Air Marshal Sohail Aman, on Saturday blamed a technical fault for the crash- landing of a military helicopter that killed two ambassadors in northern Pakistan.

The Russian-made MI-17 helicopter, carrying diplomats and their wives, crash-landed near the scenic Gilgit Baltistan on Friday, killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines and wives of the ambassadors of Malaysia and Indonesia. Both pilots and a technician of the helicopter were also killed.

Air Marshal Aman said the helicopter, which met with a technical fault in Naltar area, went out of the control before landing.

He told the state TV that cause of the accident could be ascertained after an investigation.

Bodies of those killed in the crash-landing were airlifted to Islamabad Saturday with full respect and dignity.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said the authorities were in close contact with the relevant embassies in order to ferry the bodies of foreigners to their home countries.

The injured have been taken to a military hospital in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital.

In a telephone conversation with his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condoled demise of the Norwegian ambassador in the crash-landing, his office said.

"The entire Pakistani nation is heartbroken on this incident and shares the grief and anguish of Norwegian nation," a statement from the PM's office said.

The prime minister also talked with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak over phone to mourn the death of Malaysian ambassador' s wife in the helicopter crash. Endi