The key facts

  • A military S-70 helicopter crashed in Malatya province
  • Turkey's Defense Ministry confirmed the deaths of four service members
  • The cause of the crash has not been officially established

What happened

A military S-70 helicopter crashed in the eastern Turkish province of Malatya. Turkey's Ministry of National Defense reported that four service members were killed as a result. 'The crash of our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, led to the deaths of four of our comrades-in-arms,' the ministry said in a statement.

Search and rescue operations and investigation

Earlier, the ministry reported that the helicopter's wreckage had been located and that search and rescue operations had begun immediately. The cause of the crash had not been officially determined at the time of the statement; further details, including the circumstances of the flight and the composition of the crew, have not yet been disclosed.