An Afghan military helicopter crashed on Tuesday evening in the Hairatan area of Balkh province with seven crew members on board, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Rohullah Ahmadzai, confirmed.

The helicopter belonged to the 777 Army Special Forces and was engaged in a practice flight when it crashed due to technical issues.Seven people, including three crew members, were killed, Ahmadzai said.

The incident happened at approximately 5:30 pm local time after the Mi-17 helicopter encountered technical issues and crashed in the Hairatan area in Mazar, capital of Balkh province, according to a statement from the 209 Shaheen Military Corps.