At least four people were killed after an Iranian army helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in central Iran, triggering a fire and prompting an investigation into the cause.
At least four people were killed after an Iranian army helicopter crashed into a fruit and vegetable market in central Iran on Tuesday, according to state media reports.
The aircraft went down in Dorcheh in Isfahan on February 24, killing the pilot, co-pilot and two market workers. The crash occurred in a busy market area in Khomeinishahr, triggering a fire that was later extinguished by emergency services.
State television footage showed debris scattered across the marketplace and smoke rising from the site. Authorities have not yet released detailed findings on the cause of the crash, though investigations are expected to follow.
Quoting Iran’s official IRNA news agency, AFP reported that the helicopter belonged to the Iranian army’s Air Force and that a technical malfunction was believed to have caused the accident.
According to the Associated Press, the aircraft had been on a training mission when it crashed in Dorcheh, about 330 kilometres south of Tehran.
The incident marks the second aviation accident reported in Iran within less than a week. A US-built F-4 fighter jet belonging to Iran’s regular air force recently crashed during a training flight near Hamedan, killing one pilot.
Experts have long pointed to Iran’s aviation safety challenges, noting repeated crashes, many involving aircraft acquired before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and operating without original spare parts for maintenance.
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