Six people die in a helicopter crash due to engine failure in northwestern Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A helicopter crash due to engine failure has killed six people and injured eight others in northwestern Pakistan, a local police official said on Saturday.

According to police officer Ahmed Khan, the chartered flight was carrying employees of Mari Petroleum when it crashed in North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

A security official earlier put the death toll at seven and said three Russians – two pilots and a crew member – were on board. He did not say whether they were among the dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

There were no signs of sabotage on the Mi-8 helicopter. According to the official, the injured were taken to a military hospital in the town of Thal.

“A technical defect occurred in the helicopter during take-off,” the official said. “The tail rotor struck the ground during an emergency landing and an investigation into the accident has been initiated.”

The crash site, the Shewa oil field, is about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of the provincial capital, Peshawar.