MULTAN, Pakistan — A Pakistani military helicopter caught fire in mid-air and plummeted into a river Wednesday, killing all four people on board including a provincial paramilitary chief, officials said.
"The helicopter crashed into the Indus river. There were four people on board, including the director general of the Punjab Rangers, Major General Mohammad Nawaz," military spokesman Major Farooq Feroz told AFP.
"There are no reports of any survivors," he said. One body had been recovered and rescue teams had located the wreckage, he added.
Feroz confirmed reports that the helicopter had been piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Aamir Abbas.
"The cause of the crash is being investigated. It appears to have been a technical fault, but the weather was also bad," he said.
Local police officer Mohammad Sajid said the helicopter caught fire in mid-air and plunged into the river near the town of Kot Sultan.
"We have recovered one body, it is not yet identified," he said, adding that army divers had joined the rescue operation.
Police said the cause of the crash was not clear, but that the helicopter went down in a dust storm when visibility was poor.
"The helicopter crashed into the Indus river. There were four people on board, including the director general of the Punjab Rangers, Major General Mohammad Nawaz," military spokesman Major Farooq Feroz told AFP.
"There are no reports of any survivors," he said. One body had been recovered and rescue teams had located the wreckage, he added.
Feroz confirmed reports that the helicopter had been piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Aamir Abbas.
"The cause of the crash is being investigated. It appears to have been a technical fault, but the weather was also bad," he said.
Local police officer Mohammad Sajid said the helicopter caught fire in mid-air and plunged into the river near the town of Kot Sultan.
"We have recovered one body, it is not yet identified," he said, adding that army divers had joined the rescue operation.
Police said the cause of the crash was not clear, but that the helicopter went down in a dust storm when visibility was poor.