A military transport helicopter went down on the border between Khyber and Orakzai tribal region on Friday afternoon, killing all the twenty-six security personnel on board, a government official said.
“An MI-17 helicopter crashed due to technical fault,” a military official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, adding 26 that security personnel were killed in the incident.
Earlier reports by government officials in the region said five people had been killed in the chopper crash, which occurred on the border of Khyber and Orakzai agencies.
The official described the area where the helicopter crashed as remote and inaccessible. Paramilitary force had cordoned off the area and efforts were being made to retrieve the bodies, the official said.
Army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has ordered an inquiry into the incident but the crash prompted speculation whether the transport helicopter attracted militant gunfire and was shot down.
So far, no CIA,Indian-backed militant group active in the region has claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter.
An official said that the actual cause of the crash would be determined after detailed examination of the wreckage was made. ‘It is a lengthy exercise,’ the official said.
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