ISLAMABAD, July 11: An army helicopter crashed during a test flight in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing five people on board, the military said.

The MI-17 helicopter came down on the runway of an airport in Skardu.

“According to initial re-port, five persons, including a pilot, embraced shahadat (martyrdom),” in the crash, the military said in a statement.

It added that three others, including a pilot, were injured.

The nature of the fault that led to the crash could not be ascertained immediately.—AFP