Unidentified helicopter crashes in Duhok

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An unidentified helicopter crashed in Duhok’s Chamanke district on Wednesday, with a military official telling Rudaw that seven people have died due to the crash.

Videos submitted to Rudaw on Wednesday evening depicted employees of an oil company running away from a large fire as the sound of sirens played in the background.

“Two helicopters were flying around the area. One of them broke down and spun around twice, before crashing and catching fire,” Haval Mohammed, an employee of the company and an eyewitness to the crash, told Rudaw's Nasir Ali.

A military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Rudaw that seven bodies have been recovered from the crash, adding that their bodies have been completely burnt.

 

As of the time of this writing, the reason for the helicopter’s crash and whether it belonged to the Iraqi armed forces or a foreign country remain unclear.

Reports circulated following the crash suggesting that the helicopter belonged to Turkey’s armed forces. The Turkish defense ministry quickly denied the reports, saying no helicopters belonging to the Turkish armed forces were in the air in that region.

Chamanke is located 15 kilometres from Mount Gara, known for frequent clashes between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).