ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Army helicopter crashed on Monday in bad weather in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, leaving the two pilots on board martyred, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The two pilots were identified as Maj Irfan Bercha and Maj Raja Zeeshan Jahanzeb.
A statement from the agency said the helicopter went down on the Siachen glacier, one of the world’s longest mountain glaciers, located in the Karakoram Range, and often referred to as the “highest battleground on earth” because of the wars that Pakistan and India have fought over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Siachen is known for tragedies, a desolate place where more troops have died from avalanches or bitter cold than in combat.
Rescue helicopters and troops have been dispatched to Siachen, the statement said. No further details on the crash were immediately available.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan in a statement expressed grief over the incident and extended his condolences to the families of the martyred pilots.
Later, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz also expressed sorrow over the incident in a tweet.
Since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.
