At least 22 Pakistani military personnel died when an army helicopter crashed in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, security sources said. The incident occurred on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) near the capital Muzaffarabad, as the region was conducting mass funerals for victims of recent unrest.
The Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopter went down while taking off. According to a statement from the Pakistan Army's media wing (ISPR), the initial cause was identified as a technical fault. Video footage captured a column of black smoke rising from behind buildings immediately after the impact.
The army confirmed that all crew and passengers onboard were killed, but did not release specific figures. However, Reuters, Anadolu, and AP, citing security sources, reported a death toll of 22, including a colonel, two major-rank officers, and 19 soldiers. Their bodies were honorably taken for burial on Thursday in flag-draped coffins carried by an artillery unit stationed in Kashmir.
The crash occurred amid heightened security in this sensitive border region. Local authorities recently imposed strict travel restrictions following violent clashes between security forces and a newly banned alliance of civil society groups, which left at least 11 dead late last week.
Officials dismissed any link between the local unrest and the aviation disaster. ISPR said that “an investigation board has been convened to ascertain the exact technical cause of the crash.” It added that Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and all ranks express “deep grief over this great loss of precious lives.”
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief and mourning, according to state news agency APP. Pakistan’s army aviation has long relied on Soviet-designed Mi-17 helicopters as its primary transport for high-altitude missions, though the fleet has suffered several deadly crashes in Pakistan's rugged north over the past decade. Earlier, Pakistan had refurbished and overhauled 22 Mi-17 helicopters with U.S. assistance.
