GWADAR: A Pakistan Navy helicopter on a routine training mission crashed near the port city on Monday, with all three personnel onboard being martyred.

A statement from the Director General of Public Relations (Navy) verifying the incident stated: “A Pakistan Navy helicopter, engaged in a regular training mission, encountered an accident in the Gwadar area. Three crew members embraced Shahadat during the incident.”

Dawn.com quoted a spok­es­person as saying that the helicopter crashed during the flight due to a possible technical fault. No further details were provided.

The Sea King aircraft crashed during takeoff at around 10am local time, after suffering an engine fire and losing its rear tail, according to a preliminary report shared with AFP by a military source.

Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar conveyed his condolences for the lives lost in the helicopter crash and extended his prayers to the grieving families.

Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti also paid tributes to the “brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty” and prayed for the departed souls and their families.

“The sacrifices made by the armed forces for the sake of the country and nation will always be remembered,” he said.

National Assembly Spe­a­ker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also expressed grief over the deaths and offered his condolences to the families of the martyrs.

In a separate statement, President Arif Alvi expressed his sorrow over the loss of valuable lives in the helicopter crash.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Alvi offered prayers for the departed souls and commended the contributions of the naval officers who lost their lives in service to the nation.

Simultaneously, in a statement shared on the PPP’s X account, former president Asif Ali Zardari also conveyed his sadness regarding the incident and extended condolences to the families of the martyrs.

This was the third chopper crash over the past year or so. Last September, six servicemen were killed in the province after their helicopter crashed in the small town of Khost.

A month before that, six more servicemen including one of the military’s top commanders were killed when their helicopter crashed during flood relief operations in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2023