Military helicopter crash in Turkey leaves four dead

Detailed summary

The crash occurred on Thursday evening in the Turkish neighbourhood of Samankoy

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

Four people were killed when a military helicopter came down in southern Turkey on Thursday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

The ministry said the aircraft crashed in the evening in Samankoy, a neighbourhood on the southern outskirts of the provincial capital Malatya.

“As a result of an accident involving our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, 4 of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred,” the ministry said in a social media post.

“We pray that God will have mercy on our martyrs and offer our condolences and prayers for strength to their grieving families, our Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.”

TV images showed the burning wreckage of the helicopter near a cluster of buildings in an otherwise open area of land.

The Demiroren News Agency reported that flames had spread to a nearby house. The agency reported no casualties on the ground.

The Sikorsky S-70 is widely used as a transport helicopter by militaries across the world. Its variants include the Black Hawk, which can carry up to 11 soldiers plus its air crew.

The Turkish Air Force operates a large base – the 7th Main Jet Base – to the north of Malatya.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Independent. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.