At least six people were killed when a Qatari military helicopter crashed during a routine mission due to a reported technical malfunction, the country’s Ministry of Defense confirmed.
The Ministry of Interior said the helicopter was carrying seven personnel. Six were confirmed dead, while one crew member, Captain Saeed Nasser Samekh of the Qatari Armed Forces, remains missing. Rescue operations are ongoing.
The deceased include Captain Mubarak Salem Dawai Al-Marri, Sergeant Fahad Hadi Ghanem Al-Khayerin, and Corporal Mohammad Maher Mohammad, all of the Qatari Armed Forces. Major Sinan Tastekin from the Qatar-Turkey joint force and two Turkish civilian personnel were also among the victims.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense expressed condolences and confirmed that one Turkish military member and two ASELSAN employees were among those killed. Turkish officials stated the crash resulted from a mechanical failure during training. Qatar authorities will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.
The crash comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Since the Iran-Israel-U.S. conflict began on February 28, Qatar has been repeatedly targeted. Earlier this week, Iran struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s primary natural gas hub, damaging infrastructure and reducing LNG export capacity by 17%.
QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi estimated the attack could result in an annual revenue loss of $20 billion.
Source: Al Jazeera