Advertisement

Updated December 1st, 2021 at 12:15 IST

Azerbaijan's military helicopter crashes during training exercise, 14 martyred

The helicopter of Azerbaijan's State Border Guard service had collapsed on Tuesday morning during a trip over the Garaeybat training area in the country's east

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Azerbaijan
Image: AP | Image:self
Advertisement

During a training exercise, a military helicopter crashed in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, killing nearly 14 soldiers and injuring two more, Azerbaijani officials reported. As per a joint statement issued by the border guard service as well as the Prosecutor General's office, the chopper of Azerbaijan's State Border Guard service had collapsed on Tuesday morning during a trip over the Garaeybat training area in the country's east, the Associated Press reported. The reason for the crash, which is being investigated by two state bodies, was not immediately clear. 

As per Xinhua, the Azerbaijani military helicopter went down around 10.40 a.m. local time in the Khizi area of northeastern Azerbaijan. "Fourteen people died and two more were wounded as a result of a state border service helicopter crash," TRT World reported, citing the statement from the country's frontier guard. Further, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mekhriban Aliyeva have expressed their sympathies to the victims' kin.

Turkey expresses its condolences over the tragic helicopter crash

Furthermore, Turkey has expressed its condolences to Azerbaijan over the troops martyred and also wished a speedy recovery for the injured, in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry. Additionally, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has discussed the issue with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov via a telephone call, Anadolu Agency reported quoting the diplomatic sources. 

Vice President of Turkey Fuat Oktay has also shared his sympathies over the fatal incident on Twitter and wrote, "I wish God's mercy on our Azerbaijani brothers who were martyred in the military helicopter accident that happened today, and a quick recovery to our wounded."

Azerbaijan and Armenia conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia had earlier engaged themselves in violent clashes along their common border, which has been going on over the Armenian-occupied Karabakh region. As per media reports, at least six Armenian troops were killed and 32 others were held captive by the Azerbaijan army during the fierce military hostilities that erupted on November 6. The Azerbaijan army alleged that seven of their soldiers have been killed in the skirmishes, in the breakaway area of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway zone which was controlled by ethnic Armenian troops but now under the control of Azerbaijan, has led to grave human rights violations, unsuccessful diplomatic discussions, a migrant crisis, an increasing death toll as well as devastation. Tensions over the disputed South Caucasus terrain have risen in recent years, with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of starting and escalating the regional war. 

(Image: AP)

Advertisement

Published December 1st, 2021 at 12:15 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo