Police helicopter crash kills two officers in country’s south

GAZIANTEP

Two police officers have been killed and a technician wounded as their helicopter crashed in the southeastern province of Gaziantep while returning from a mission in the neighboring city of Hatay.

Authorities informed that as of 10:59 p.m. on Feb. 3, they lost contact with the aircraft carrying Pilot Police Chief Cemil Gülen, Contract Pilot Levent Öztürk and a technician. Shortly after the communication with the helicopter was lost, residents of Kartal village in Gaziantep’s Nurdağı district reported to the security forces about a helicopter crash.

Upon reaching the scene, locals encountered the wreckage of the helicopter, located approximately 6 kilometers away from the village.

With a large number of police, gendarmerie and search and rescue units dispatched to the area, the first inspections revealed that both pilots lost their lives, while the technician sustained injuries. After receiving initial medical attention, the technician was transported to Gaziantep City Hospital for further treatment.

While the gendarmerie established a security perimeter around the crash site, expert teams initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan expressed their condolences for the police officers on their social media posts.