Four killed as Musharraf escort helicopter crashes

Four soldiers were killed today when one of three helicopters escorting Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf crashed.

The president had already reached his destination when the accident happened, army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Dawn News TV.

Abbas Gardezi, a local journalist, said he saw an army helicopter crash about 20km (12 miles) south of Muzaffarabad, the main town in Pakistan’s portion of the disputed Himalayan territory.

He said that when the aircraft hit the ground, there was an explosion and it was burned out.

A senior army official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment to the media, said the helicopter was one of three taking Gen Musharraf to Muzaffarabad for commemorations of the second anniversary of an earthquake which killed nearly 80,000 people on October 7, 2005.

Maj Gen Arshad said only that an army helicopter made a crash landing due to a technical fault while en route to Muzaffarabad. “Four troops died and some were injured,” he said.

Security was tight in Muzaffarabad this morning, restricting residents’ movement around the city, apparently in anticipation of the arrival of a VIP visitor.

On Saturday, Gen Musharraf swept to victory in a presidential election by lawmakers. He has to wait for a Supreme Court ruling on his eligibility for office to find out whether he will win a new five-year term.