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

Over 1,800 Dead in Nepal Earthquake; Fresh Tremors Rock Delhi, Northern India

Over 1,800 Dead in Nepal Earthquake; Fresh Tremors Rock Delhi, Northern India
An Indian meteorological official said here the epicentre of the fresh tremors also lay in Nepal, where a powerful earthquake on Saturday killed nearly 2,000 people.

Over 1,800 Dead in Nepal Earthquake; Fresh Tremors Rock Delhi, Northern India

155 Killed As 7.9 Earthquake Rocks Nepal, Shakes India

155 Killed As 7.9 Earthquake Rocks Nepal, Shakes India
At least 155 people were killed and many were left bloodied when a massive earthquake shook Nepal and India, causing widespread devastation. Buildings collapsed, roads cracked and phone lines snapped as the earth trembled.

155 Killed As 7.9 Earthquake Rocks Nepal, Shakes India

Islamic State Kills 10 People, Shoots Down Plane In Syria

Islamic State Kills 10 People, Shoots Down Plane In Syria
Islamic State (IS) militants killed 10 people, many of them Kurds, in northern Syria on Friday and shot down a military aircraft in the south of the country, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, or SOHR, reported.

Islamic State Kills 10 People, Shoots Down Plane In Syria

P.E.I. Doctor Rescues Disabled Man Who Fell Onto Subway Tracks In Washington

P.E.I. Doctor Rescues Disabled Man Who Fell Onto Subway Tracks In Washington
A Charlottetown doctor says he didn't hesitate because there was no time to waste when he jumped from a subway platform in Washington, D.C., earlier this week to rescue a disabled man whose wheelchair had toppled onto the tracks.

P.E.I. Doctor Rescues Disabled Man Who Fell Onto Subway Tracks In Washington

'America's Doctor' Vivek Murthy Recounts 'Improbable Rise'

'America's Doctor' Vivek Murthy Recounts 'Improbable Rise'
Son of Indian immigrant parents, Dr. Vivek Murthy says his rise to the position of "America's Doctor" was improbable but he got where he was by standing on principle.

'America's Doctor' Vivek Murthy Recounts 'Improbable Rise'

Indian-Origin UK Trader Navinder Singh Sarao, Held Over 2010 'Flash Crash' Of Markets

Indian-Origin UK Trader Navinder Singh Sarao, Held Over 2010 'Flash Crash' Of Markets
Navinder Singh Sarao, 36, from West London, appeared in a Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and said he would oppose extradition to the US, NBC News reported from London

Indian-Origin UK Trader Navinder Singh Sarao, Held Over 2010 'Flash Crash' Of Markets