6 killed in North Waziristan helicopter crash

PESHAWAR: At least six persons, including two foreign nationals, were killed when a chartered helicopter crashed in the resources-rich Shawa tehsil of North Waziristan tribal district, civil and military officials said on Saturday.

“The helicopter crashed shortly after take-off, due to engine failure,” a senior security official in the region said on condition of anonymity. According to official sources, the helicopter was chartered by a private petroleum company, working on petroleum exploration in the tribal region for some time.

“Around 14 passengers were on board the helicopter, including two Russian pilots. Eight people were injured in the crash and were immediately taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Thall subdivision of Hangu district,” the security official added. Soon after the crash, the security forces along with ambulances reached the site of the accident and rescued the injured from wreckage of the chopper.

“Most of the people on board were engineers and technical experts. As per our initial investigations, there was no link of terrorism in the crash,” said the official.

Like other tribal districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, North Waziristan is rich in natural resources. There had been tremendous resources of oil and gas in Shawa subdivision of North Waziristan and a number of projects were initiated in the region. According to security officials and experts, gas reserves in Thall block, including Shawa subdivision, are six times more than Sui in Balochistan.