Military helicopter crashes in Iran, pilot among 4 killed

An Iranian army helicopter has crashed, killing four people, including two pilots, local media reported. The other two people who lost their lives were local businessmen. The accident occurred on Tuesday (February 24) morning in the city of Dorcheh in Isfahan province, home to a large army air base. Initial reports suggest the helicopter crashed due to a mechanical failure.

Footage broadcast on state television showed debris and emergency workers battling the fire at the crash site.

A statement from Iran's Army Aviation Training Center confirmed the identities of the dead service members. They are pilot Colonel Hamid Sarvajad and co-pilot Major Mojtaba Kiani.

In addition, two people working in their shops in the market were killed when the helicopter crashed and caught fire.

The army said it was investigating the cause of the accident. The local judiciary chief, Asadollah Jafari, said he had also filed a case and sent investigators to the scene.

The crash came less than a week after an air force fighter jet, likely an older US-made F-4 model, crashed during a night training exercise in Iran's Hamadan province. State media reported that one pilot was killed in the incident, while the other parachuted to safety. The cause of the crash was also cited as mechanical failure.

Iran has been facing significant challenges in modernizing its aging military and civilian aircraft fleets due to decades of US and Western sanctions.