ISLAMABAD – Condolences started pouring in after an army helicopter MI-17 crashed Friday morning in Naltar Valley near Gilgit-Baltistan killing seven, among them five foreign delegates.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed deep grief and sorrow over the tragic crash and offered heartfelt condolences to families of those who lost their lives in the incident. The prime minister also announced a day of mourning.
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The convoy of three helicopters was carrying a delegation of foreign diplomats and their aides to Gilgit-Baltistan.
Director General Inter Services Public Relations Asim Bajwa said the prime minister was in one of the helicopters in the convoy.
However, a statement by Sharif’s office had said he was on a plane ─ not helicopter ─ en route to the Gilgit area at the time of the incident, but turned back to Islamabad after news of the crash broke. He was set to inaugurate a chair-lift at a ski resort, one of the region’s top administrative officials told AFP.
In his twitter, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan expressed sadness over the incident and condoled with the families of those who died.
Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad also took to twitter to convey his grief over the mishap and condoled the bereaved families.
In her twitter feed, rights activist and Bhutto scion Aseefa Bhutto Zardari extended her condolences to the families of all those who lost loved ones in the crash.
