Turkish military mourns as helicopter collision claims five lives
At least five people were killed and one was injured in a collision between two Turkish Armed Forces helicopters in the southwestern part of the country, reports the Polish Press Agency, citing Turkish media. One of the deceased is reported to be a brigadier general of the Turkish army.
According to PAP, all the victims of the accident were military personnel. The soldier who survived the crash was taken to hospital, reported NTV, citing local authorities. The governor of Isparta province, Abdullah Erin, stated that the tragedy occurred in the provincial capital, the city of Isparta. It happened during a training flight. One of the aircraft reportedly crashed near a petrol station.
The Air Force School is located in the Keçiborlu district. Training flights are conducted there regularly. One of them crashed due to contact between the two helicopters, cited Abdullah Erin on the Turkish portal NTV.
Turkish media reports that large rescue service units were dispatched to the scene to determine whether there were more people on board.
It is known that Brigadier General Isa Baydilli of the Turkish army died in the accident. The military officer was promoted from colonel to brigadier general in 2022 and appointed the Air Force School commander.
In a conversation with the "A News" portal, Governor Erin informed that attempts were made to contact the brigadier general. Eventually, rescuers managed to reach him, but it was too late for a rescue.
The Turkish Ministry of Defence also released a statement about the disaster, informing that Bell UH-1 helicopters involved in training flights were part of the collision. The Ministry addressed the issue on the X portal, extending condolences to the families.
This is not the first aviation tragedy in Turkey. In June, a training aircraft also crashed in the province of Kayseri, killing two pilots.
