At least four military personnel were killed when a Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter crashed in the Minimarg area of Astore district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday evening, Pakistan’s Dawn News reported. 

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the helicopter was evacuating the body of a soldier, Abdul Qadeer, to the Combined Military Hospital Skardu.

The officers and soldiers killed were identified as pilot Major M. Hussain, copilot Maj Ayaz Hussain, Naik Inzimam Alam and Sepoy Muhammad Farooq, according to the report. 

The ISPR said the helicopter crashed due to technical issues.