BAKU, Oct 22: The five people aboard a Russian military helicopter taking relief supplies to Pakistan died when the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from a refuelling site in Azerbaijan on Saturday, an Azeri official said.

Sabir Iliasov, deputy head of Azerbaijan’s state-owned AZAL air company, said: “I think all of them are dead.”

The helicopter, chartered by the United Nations, was flying from Trabzon in Turkey to help victims of the earthquake in Pakistan. It was due to make another refuelling stop in Turkmenistan.

“The helicopter made a fuel stop in Ganja. Immediately after taking off (from Ganja) it disappeared from radars,” Azeri television station ANS reported.

It said the helicopter had crashed 15-20 metres from the market in the town of Geokchai, but the market was deserted due to the late hour. —Reuters