Pakistan helicopter crash that killed diplomats caused by technical fault
Four foreigners — the ambassadors from the Philippines and Norway and the wives of the ambassadors from Malaysia and Indonesia — were among those killed Friday.
In this still image taken from video, a rescue helicopter hovers over the site where a Pakistani army helicopter crashed in Nalter Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan, Friday. The ambassadors to Pakistan from the Philippines and Norway and the wives of the ambassadors from Malaysia and Indonesia were killed Friday when a Pakistani army helicopter carrying foreign dignitaries made a crash landing in the country’s north, the military said.
AP
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan's air force says a technical fault caused the deadly helicopter crash in the country's north and that a fire that subsequently broke out on the aircraft caused the high number of fatalities.
Four foreigners — the ambassadors from the Philippines and Norway and the wives of the ambassadors from Malaysia and Indonesia — were among those killed Friday, along with two pilots and a crew member.
Air force spokesman Syed Muhammad Ali told the state-run news agency that the technical failure forced the crash landing and that the helicopter caught fire when it went down in the village of Naltar.
The diplomats were being flown to Naltar to witness the inauguration of chairlift at a ski resort.
Earlier, the Pakistani Taliban claimed shooting down the helicopter with a missile.
Norway's government has confirmed that the Norwegian ambassador was killed in a helicopter crash inPakistan.
Foreign Minister Borge Brende says Pakistani authorities informed Norway that Ambassador Leif Holger Larsen was among the victims of Friday's crash.
Brende called Larsen "one of our best and most experienced diplomats."