A Pakistan Army helicopter crashed during a training flight in Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday, killing all five crew members on board, the military’s media wing said.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army Aviation MI-17 helicopter developed a technical fault and crash-landed near Hudor village, about 12 kilometres from Thakdas Cantonment, at around 10:00 a.m.
The crew members were identified as Major Atif, pilot in command; Major Faisal, co-pilot; flight engineer Naib Subedar Maqbool; and crew chiefs Havaldar Jahangir and Naik Amir.
Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police Abdul Hameed said the helicopter was conducting a test landing on a proposed helipad when the crash occurred. Local police and rescue teams reached the site to assist with evacuation.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan directed an emergency response at Chilas Hospital and said medical staff were placed on immediate standby.
The incident follows a series of helicopter crashes in Pakistan in recent years. Earlier this month, a rescue helicopter crashed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, killing five crew members. In 2024, a helicopter of a petroleum company crashed near the Shewa oil field in North Waziristan, leaving six people dead and eight others critically injured.