Four Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday evening when an army S-70 helicopter crashed in the eastern province of Malatya, the Ministry of National Defence (MSB) said.
The helicopter came down at around 18:45 near Samanköy in Malatya’s Yeşilyurt district, according to Türkiye newspaper, NTV and Haberler.com. In its first statement, the ministry said the aircraft had crashed for a reason not yet known, that the wreckage had been reached and that search and rescue work had begun immediately. It later announced that all four soldiers on board had been killed.
Update, 13 November, 09:43: Bodies sent to Ankara: The bodies of the four soldiers, taken overnight to the Malatya Forensic Medicine Institute morgue, were sent to Ankara on Friday morning after a ceremony at Malatya Airport that was closed to the press, Anadolu Agency (AA) and Aksiyon reported. (Sources: Star / AA, Aksiyon.)
Two pilots and two technicians
The ministry named the dead as two army pilots with the rank of major, Erdem Çimen and Orhun Pınar, and two aircraft and helicopter technicians, Senior Master Sergeant Hüseyin Zehir and Senior Sergeant Serkan Önder, according to NTV and Memurlar.net.
Their families live in Gaziemir in İzmir, Sincan in Ankara, Payas in Hatay and Kayseri, NTV and Türkiye newspaper reported, and officials visited the homes to inform relatives.
Fire, 112 emergency and AFAD disaster teams were sent to the site, Türkiye newspaper and Euronews Türkçe reported. A fire broke out after the crash and was brought under control, according to Türkiye newspaper, Haberler.com and Euronews Türkçe.
Investigation opened
The Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation and assigned a deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors to it, Türkiye newspaper, NTV and Haberler.com reported. Police and military officials examined the crash site. The ministry has not said what mission the helicopter was flying or what caused the crash.
Condolences
Defence Minister Yaşar Güler offered his condolences, according to Memurlar.net and Son Dakika. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik were among the politicians who posted messages of condolence, according to Türkiye newspaper and NTV.
More of Thursday’s news is collected in our daily round-up for 12 November.
Sources
- Malatya’da helikopter düştü! MSB duyurdu, 4 askerimiz şehit oldu (Türkiye Gazetesi / İHA)
- Malatya’daki helikopter kazasında 4 asker şehit oldu (NTV)
- Helikopter kazasında şehit olan askerlerin kimlikleri belli oldu (Memurlar.net)
- MSB: ‘Malatya’da askeri helikopter düştü, 4 asker şehit oldu’ (Euronews Türkçe)
- Malatya’da helikopter düştü! MSB’den açıklama geldi: 4 şehidimiz var (Haberler.com)
Photo: Zeynel Cebeci / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
