Close X
Thursday, September 19, 2024
ADVT 
International

Norway, Philippines Envoys Among Seven Dead In Pakistan Chopper Crash

Darpan News Desk IANS, 08 May, 2015 01:28 PM
  • Norway, Philippines Envoys Among Seven Dead In Pakistan Chopper Crash
The ambassadors of the Philippines and Norway were among seven people killed on Friday in a chopper crash in Pakistan's Naltar valley near Gilgit.
 
Even as the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the crash was caused by an attack it carried out, the army said the chopper "developed technical fault" while landing, media reports said. 
 
In an update on Twitter, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa said the dead included four foreigners -- Ambassadors Domingo D. Lucinerio Jr. of the Philippines and Leif Larsen of Norway and the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors -- and three Pakistanis -- two pilots and one crew member.
 
He said that according to initial information, two helicopters belonging to the Pakistan Army landed safely "while the third developed technical fault while landing", which caused the accident.
 
He ruled out the possibility of any terrorist or subversive activity, according to Dawn online.
 
The Pakistan Army helicopter crash-landed on a school, the report said, adding that Dutch Ambassador Marcel de Vink and Polish Ambassador Andrzej Ananicz were injured in the incident.
 
Earlier, in a series of tweets, Bajwa said that six Pakistanis and 11 foreigners were on board the MI-17 helicopter.
 
Three helicopters were carrying a delegation of foreign diplomats and their wives and aides to Gilgit-Baltistan, where they were scheduled to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 
 
"It was a diplomatic trip with members of 37 countries in total," said a passenger in one of the helicopters, who requested anonymity, adding that the school caught fire after the chopper crashed on it.
 
Expressing grief over the death of the envoys, Sharif has announced a one-day mourning, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He was scheduled to visit Gilgit on Friday for the inauguration of two projects.
 
Shortly after the incident, the injured were taken to a military hospital in Gilgit, officials said.
 
A board of inquiry has been constituted to investigate the cause of the crash.

MORE International ARTICLES

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy Happy Over Son-in-law's Win In British Poll

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy Happy Over Son-in-law's Win In British Poll
Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy on Friday expressed happiness that his son-in-law Rishi Sunak, of the Conservatives, had been elected to the British parliament in the general elections, in his maiden electoral foray.

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy Happy Over Son-in-law's Win In British Poll

David Cameron's Conservatives Defy Predictions, Get Majority In British Polls

David Cameron's Conservatives Defy Predictions, Get Majority In British Polls
Defying all predictions and speculation, Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party on Friday secured a simple majority in the 650-member House of Commons, winning 331 seats in the British general election.

David Cameron's Conservatives Defy Predictions, Get Majority In British Polls

Search On For Missing Good Samaritan Indian Techie Knocked Into Brazos River By Texas Drunken Driver

Search On For Missing Good Samaritan Indian Techie Knocked Into Brazos River By Texas Drunken Driver
Puneet Nehra, 43, a resident of Sugarland suburb and originally from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, went missing after an accident shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday on the Grand Parkway northbound on the Brazos river in Fort Bend county.

Search On For Missing Good Samaritan Indian Techie Knocked Into Brazos River By Texas Drunken Driver

British Leaders Eye Indian-Origin Voters

As the campaigning for the British parliamentary election enters its final phase, Prime Minister David Cameron and other leaders are eyeing undecided voters, especially among the 700,000 strong community of Indian origin.

British Leaders Eye Indian-Origin Voters

Charlie Hebdo Receives Pen Literary Award

Charlie Hebdo Receives Pen Literary Award
The PEN literary award celebrating freedom of speech was given this year to satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in New York, amidst high security and highly divided opinions within the organisation.

Charlie Hebdo Receives Pen Literary Award

Indian-Origin Woman Mradulaben Patel Killed In Gas Station Robbery In South Carolina

Indian-Origin Woman Mradulaben Patel Killed In Gas Station Robbery In South Carolina
An Indian-origin woman gas station attendant in South Carolina, who was shot in the face and left in a critical condition, has died two days after the robbery attempt, according to media reports.

Indian-Origin Woman Mradulaben Patel Killed In Gas Station Robbery In South Carolina

PrevNext