Istanbul helicopter crash claims lives of four soldiers
Turkish officials say the military helicopter was trying to make an emergency landing when it crashed in a residential neighbourhood of Cekmekoy district in Istanbul.
Fire fighters and police inspect the site of a helicopter crash in Istanbul, Turkey, February 11, 2019.
A Turkish military helicopter crashed in a residential neighbourhood of Istanbul on Monday, killing four soldiers, officials said.
"Unfortunately, four of our soldiers became martyrs," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at Cekmekoy district, site of the crash.
Yerlikaya said no other military personnel or civilian was injured after the helicopter ploughed to the ground on the Asian side of Turkey's financial capital, adding the cause of the crash was not yet known.
The incident occurred at around 6:51 pm (local time), he said.
İstanbul Çekmeköy’de içinde bulundukları helikopterin düşmesi sonucu şehit olan 4 askerimize Allah’tan rahmet diliyorum.
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) February 11, 2019
Başta aileleri olmak üzere milletimizin başı sağolsun.
Şehitlerimizin bölgedeki vatandaşlarımızı korumak için son anda gösterdikleri kahramanlığı unutmayacağız
Probe ordered
Images on Turkish television earlier showed thick black smoke emanating from behind a white wall at the crash site.
Yerlikaya said the Istanbul public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
"May Allah rest the souls of our soldiers who lost their lives in Cekmekoy helicopter crash. May their souls which have reached martyrdom rest easy. Condolences to us all," Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed last November after a military helicopter crashed in a residential area of Istanbul, hitting a four-storey building.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.