The Russian-built
Mi-17, used by air forces across the world, has had a patchy safety record in
recent years. The fuel tanks are very
easy to explode.
MAY 8, 2015
GILGIT, PAKISTAN
It crashed during an emergency landing in the Gilgit-Baltistan
territory.
The wives of the Indonesian and Malaysian envoys, two pilots
and a crew member also died. They were to attend the opening of a tourism
project.
The Pakistani Taliban said they were behind the attack, but
the government dismissed any suggestion of foul play.
Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said initial
reports suggest it was an accident.
Analysis: M Ilyas Khan, BBC News, Islamabad
This is one of the most tragic aviation disasters for the
Pakistani military in decades. The last time one of its air crashes killed a
foreign diplomat was in 1988 when a C-130, carrying then military ruler Gen
Ziaul Haq, US Ambassador Arnold Raphel and several of the army top brass,
crashed in southern Pakistan, killing all on board.
The diplomats flying in the ill-fated MI-17 on Friday were
headed for a little advertised but extremely exciting inauguration ceremony of
a ski chairlift, built in the breathtaking resort of Naltar, in northern
Pakistan.
The 180-seat lift was donated by Switzerland and installed
by the Pakistan Air Force. Its test run was completed in August, but its formal
opening was delayed several times due to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's
preoccupations elsewhere.
Today Mr Sharif flew to within 40km of Naltar valley, but
just then the news of the crash came and he had to turn back without touching
down at the regional airport in Gilgit.
The area is not a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
The militant group earlier issued a statement saying they had shot down the
helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile, intending to kill the prime minister.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was scheduled to
attend the inauguration of the ski lift, but his aircraft turned back from
Gilgit after reports of the crash.
Military spokesman Asim Bajwa said in a Twitter
post that Norwegian envoy Leif Larsen and Domingo Lucenario of the
Philippines had been killed.
He said five others were injured, including the Polish and
Dutch ambassadors.
Eleven foreigners and six Pakistanis were on board the MI-17
helicopter when it came down in the Naltar valley, he added.
'In flames'
The helicopter hit a building belonging to an army school in
Gilgit-Baltistan. The building caught fire but no children were in class at the
time, a senior official told the AFP news agency.
Local resident Sher Ahmed told the news agency that there
had been a heavy security presence in the area ahead of the visit.
"I was in my garden with my family watching the
helicopters arriving when we heard a loud explosion and then the school
building was in flames."
Meanwhile, an unnamed senior official told Pakistan's
Express News that strong winds were blowing when he saw the helicopter crash go
down.
Norway's ambassador to Pakistan Leif Larsen died in the
crash The ambassadors of Poland and the Netherlands were also injured They and
several others were brought to a military hospital in Gilgit for treatment.
It was one of three helicopters ferrying a delegation of
foreign diplomats for the inauguration of a chairlift project built by the air
force for tourists in the area.
The chairlift project was reportedly completed more than six
months ago, but its inauguration was delayed due to Prime Minister Sharif's
other commitments.
It is the second chairlift to be built in a Pakistani ski
resort. The first chairlift, which is at Pakistan's oldest ski resort of Malam
Jabba in the Swat valley, was destroyed by the Taliban.
Gilgit-Baltistan is famous for its natural beauty and the
main city of Gilgit is seen as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan
mountain ranges.
It is also a strategically important autonomous region
bordering China, Afghanistan and Indian-held Kashmir.
There have been a number of crashes involving the same model
of military helicopter in Pakistan in recent years.
MI-17 helicopter
crashes in Pakistan
2015: 8 killed during an emergency landing in the
Gilgit-Baltistan territory, including ambassadors and ambassadors’ wives
2012: Five killed in helicopter crash near Skardu airport in
Gilgit-Baltistan region
2009: 41 killed in crash in northern Chapri Ferozkhel area
2007: Four killed in crash near Muzaffarabad, the capital of
Pakistani-administered Kashmir
2004: 13 killed when helicopter travelling from Rawalpindi
to the North Waziristan tribal area crashes
In 1988, a plane crash killed then military-ruler General Ziaul Haq as well as the US ambassador at the time, Arnold Raphel.
A local police official on duty near the site told AFP: “I was watching the helicopters arriving, they were coming since the morning, it was their third or fourth trip.
“One helicopter suddenly whirling at its place and went down with a bang, then there were flames.”
An emergency medic who was deployed nearby ahead of the inauguration ceremony said the helicopter only exploded and caught fire after landing.
“The pilot was gesturing at us to come and help him. We rushed there, broke the windows, and started dragging people out.
“After some minutes, there was an explosion, injuring some of the medics too.”
Two other eye-witnesses interviewed by AFP also said they did not see the chopper being hit by a missile.
Source: Pakistan's Dawn News
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Date:
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08-MAY-2015
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Time:
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Type:
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Owner/operator:
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Pakistan Army
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Registration:
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C/n / msn:
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Fatalities:
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Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 17
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Airplane damage:
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Written off (damaged beyond repair)
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Location:
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Naltar Valley, Gilgit -
Pakistan
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Phase:
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Landing
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Nature:
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Military
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Departure airport:
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OPGT
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Destination airport:
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PAF Base Naltar
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Narrative:
Seven people including two pilots died in crash landing of the helicopter while carrying diplomats to the opening of a chairlift.
The Ambassadors of Norway and Philippines died in the crash. Wives of the ambassadors of Indonesia and Malaysia also died.
Ambassadors of the Netherlands and Poland injured.
Seven people including two pilots died in crash landing of the helicopter while carrying diplomats to the opening of a chairlift.
The Ambassadors of Norway and Philippines died in the crash. Wives of the ambassadors of Indonesia and Malaysia also died.
Ambassadors of the Netherlands and Poland injured.
Sources:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=175981
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-184067-MI-17-helicopter-crash-lands-in-Gilgit,-three-injured-
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32653359
http://www.nu.nl/buitenland/4045587/nederlandse-ambassadeur-gewond-bij-helikoptercrash-in-pakistan.html