MANSEHRA: The authorities confirmed on Friday that 12 army men, including five majors, had died in a helicopter crash near here on Thursday. Their charred bodies were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Abbottabad for DNA test.

The ill-fated helicopter was Russia-made Mi-17 converted into an air-ambulance. It was on a mission to airlift a critically injured soldier from Gilgit. It had crashed in the mountainous area of Muhar, about 40km from here.

Take a look: 12 feared killed in helicopter crash

“Yes, the rescue operation is over and the bodies of the 12 army men have been retrieved from the wreckage of the helicopter and sent to the CMH in Abbottabad,” said Najeebur Rehman, the District Police Officer of Mansehra.

Local people and army and police personnel took part in the operation which continued throughout the night and on Friday morning.

According a resident who rushed to the place after the crash, there were two deafening blasts after the helicopter hit the high mountain peak of Bengra.

A preliminary report suggested that the accident had been caused by bad weather. But a thorough investigation is reported to be in progress to determine the exact cause.

Sources in the CMH said DNA tests would help identify the bodies.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad, the garrison commander, visited the crash site on Friday and met soldiers deployed there.

Mansehra Deputy Commissioner Aamir Khattak and DPO Najeebur Rehman also went to Muhar and supervised the rescue operation.

According to witnesses, an army aviation team collected the wreckage of the chopper spread over a wide area and other forensic evidences. Soldiers cordoned off the entire area and civilians were not allowed to go to the crash site.

The aviation team was also searching for the chopper’s black box.

“The place where the helicopter crashed has no vehicular access because of high mountains, but despite that a police party succeeded in reaching there and retrieved the bodies with the help of locals and shifted them to Muhar from where they were taken to the CMH in ambulances,” said Zulfiqar Jadoon, Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Those on board the helicopter were identified as pilots Maj Humayun and Maj Afzal; doctors Maj Shahzad, Maj Atif and Maj Usman; medical technicians and paramedics Naik Maqbool, soldier Rehmatullah, nursing assistant Amanullah; and helicopter crew Havaldar Munir Abbasi, Havaldar Asif, Naik Amir Saeed and soldier Waqar.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play