On Sunday, the tragic incident of a military helicopter crash resulted in the death of 14 servicemen in Azerbaijan. The MI-17 helicopter which was on a training flight, crashed into a mountain in the early morning hours near Azerbaijan’s second-largest city, Ganja. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The unfortunate incident has left the entire nation in mourning and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has declared a day of national mourning.
The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan stated that the helicopter was from the Azerbaijani Air Force and the crash occurred at 08:40 local time (04:40 GMT). The servicemen who lost their lives in the incident were all members of the Azerbaijani Air Force. The Ministry further confirmed that the helicopter was not engaged in a military operation and that it was a routine training flight.
The helicopter crash is one of the deadliest incidents to hit the Azerbaijani military in recent years. The crash site is near Ganja, a city that was targeted by Armenian forces during the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020. However, there is no indication at this time that the crash is related to any ongoing or past military conflict.
This incident comes as a major blow to the country, which has been trying to rebuild after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The conflict which lasted for about six weeks in 2020, resulted in the death of thousands of people and displaced many more. The loss of 14 servicemen in the helicopter crash is a painful reminder of the dangers faced by the military even in times of peace.
President Ilham Aliyev expressed deep sorrow over the incident and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims. He also declared a day of national mourning in honor of the fallen servicemen. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the families of the victims and mourns the loss of their brave servicemen.