Army helicopter crashes in northern Pakistan, killing 5 on board

QUETTA, Pakistan — An army helicopter on a routine flight crashed on Monday in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians on board, a government spokesman said.

The helicopter apparently went down in the Gilgit-Baltistan region due to a technical fault and then caught fire, Faizullah Faraq, the regional government spokesman, said. He provided no further details, and said authorities are investigating.

Such crashes are not uncommon in Pakistan. Last month, a helicopter carrying relief supplies to the flood-hit northwestern Bajaur region crashed in bad weather, killing all five people on board. And in September 2024, six people were killed when another helicopter went down in the northwest due to engine failure.